Who’s ready for a mid-year review?! I know I sure am. One of my favorite exercises on Marketing Creativity is the 7-day New Year review I conduct annually. Seven months later, my soul’s craving a quiet session of reflection. If you feel the same, join me!
Here’s a link to Part 1 in which I prompted you with a list of questions to start us off. Today, we’re going to reflect on what’s worked so far this year (so we can do MORE of that)!
Your Mid-Year Review Questions
If you don’t have a good answer for some of these questions, don’t worry! But take note. Going forward, you’ll want to focus your efforts on activities that DO generate the results you want.
1. What activities, products, actions, or ideas are working for you this year?
2. What was your best creative business payday? What product or services are selling well? What actions bring subscribers, fans and followers?
3. What isn’t working? What’s costing time and money without generating a return?
4. What do you want MORE of in the second-half of 2014?
5. How might you change your approach going forward?
My Mid-Year Review Answers
1. What activities, products, actions, or ideas are working for you this year?
The Summer Shift was a career breakthrough in so many ways, and I’ll be talking more about that later this month.
On the more personal side of business, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know other creatives through membership programs, such as the Oh My! membership and the Roost Tribe – I love both, and Jessika and Bonnie have become trusted colleagues and friends of mine. Both memberships are well worth their reasonable subscription fees.
Full disclosure is really working, too! I love sharing my monthly income reports, and I can hardly wait to reveal all that’s come from my disclosing what I would do if I knew I could not fail.
2. What was your best creative business payday? What product or services are selling well? What actions bring subscribers, fans and followers?
My best creative payday was The Summer Shift, and I’m in love with that result! I’m getting paid the most for the work that I love the best. It’s shifted the future of my business.
The Energy Shop continues to do well, even in my absence. It’s low on stock, yet it continues to sell. I’m trying to work out a plan to better sustain that side of my career. I’d say it’s the root cause of the feast and famine cash flow cycle.
My increased following on Pinterest is bringing in a lot of traffic and new subscribers. I’ll be talking about that (and showing you how to do the same) next month.
3. What isn’t working? What’s costing time and money without generating a return?
My tendency to hesitate on big decisions and investments. It’s not working for me, at all. I have a recent history of waiting for someone to approve my plans and chasing my big ideas in my mind for way too long. Even when I get outside approval, I stall out again. My own hesitation to invest in my dreams is costing me precious opportunity for growth. I keep catching myself wasting time, and I need to cut it out.
4. What do you want MORE of in the second-half of 2014?
Decisiveness. Achievement. Results.
5. How might you change your approach going forward?
I’m going to stop him-hawing, and get back on track. My dear, I’ve been resting on my laurels. It’s time for me to trim the fat out of my life once and for all, establish clear boundaries for the future, and become the true authority of my life.
Here’s wishing you the same.
Gosh, I needed that! I’ll be spending the rest of the day organizing a plan for the rest of 2014. If you do a mid-year review, please link up or share what you discovered in the comments. Talk again soon and all the best~
Love this idea of a mid-year review. It makes total sense to reflect during the quieter summer months. I’m going to spend some this weekend doing this review.