December isn’t just for holiday parties; it’s a non-negotiable time for strategic review and planning ahead for next year. As business consultants, our team have seen too many of our clients stumble into the New Year reacting to problems instead of launching into success. Don’t be a stat contact us now and launch the New Year successfully.
Before you close your books and unplug for the holidays, here are five essential steps we recommend to ensure you start January on solid ground and set up your business for its best year yet.
1. Conduct a Financial KPI Audit
Go beyond the numbers, not just checking for profit or loss. Do a true audit to understand the why behind your numbers.
- Review your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – check which revenue streams crushed it? Which services underperformed?
- Analyze Client Profitability – identify your “A-list” clients, the ones who provided the most profit with the least stress. Use this data to refine your ideal client profile for the New Year.
- Finalize the Budget Variance – pinpoint areas where spending exceeded the budget. Did the new tool pay for itself? Or was it a costly distraction?
2. Audit Your Customers
Your customers are the blood in the veins of your business. A year-end review is crucial for retention and referrals.
- Get Feedback – send a short, high-impact survey to your top 10 clients asking what they valued most and where you could improve.
- Identify Referral Opportunities – which clients are most likely to advocate for you? Schedule a quick, non-sales call to thank them and casually mention your goals for the New Year.
- The “Fire” Drill – be honest about the 1-2 clients that drained excessive time, resources, or morale. Ask yourself, do they fit into your strategic plan for the coming year?
3. Check those Subscriptions
Many of our clients are victims of what we refer to as the “software spread”, this is the subscription fatigue from services and apps that are not really used. Its December, it is time to clean out, unsubscribe today!
- Cancel and Consolidate – get rid of any software or service your team hasn’t actively used in months.
- Document Key Processes – ensure your team’s most frequent tasks (e.g., client onboarding, invoicing) are documented. This builds efficiency and simplifies training for new staff.
- Automate One Pain Point – what is the single most time-consuming manual task you do? Find a way, a new tool or system to automate it. Save time!
4. Define Your Strategic ‘One Thing’ for this Quarter
Don’t start the New Year with a vague list of “resolutions”. Successful businesses focus their energy on specific tasks, they plan.
- Look Back to Look Forward – based on your KPI audit (Step 1), what is the single biggest opportunity or threat you need to address in the first three months?
- Set Your ‘One Thing’ – is it launching a new service? Hiring a key position? Restructuring your pricing? Name it and make it your team’s first quarter (Q1) call.
- Block Time – schedule the initial planning and execution steps for your ‘One Thing’ right now, before your calendar fills up.
5. Celebrate the Wins (and Recharge the Team)
High-performing teams acknowledge hard work. Don’t let your accomplishments become just another spreadsheet entry.
- Personalized Gratitude – a sincere, handwritten note or personalized gift often means more than a generic holiday email.
- Share the Success Story – Highlight a major client win, a successful project, or a tough challenge you overcame. Showing the impact of the work boosts morale and aligns everyone for the next year.
- Enforce Downtime – encourage your team (and your too!) to genuinely disconnect. A rested team starts the New Year focused and energized.
Don’t wait for the last minute. Tackle this list now and survive the year-end transition, you’ll be sure to dominate the start of the New Year. If you need help with your strategic review, that’s why we’re here. Lets talk about turning your review into next year’s growth plan.
