I've just returned from my year-end planning retreat in Chattanooga, TN, and DAMN it was awesome.
This is only my 3rd year doing this and considering I started my freelance journey back in 2009, I discovered this secret WAY too late...
Planning is the secret sauce to having your best year ever (which 2023 was for my businesses).
But here's the kicker – it doesn't have to be a mind-boggling, complex ordeal. A stupidly simple plan that you actually use is worth its weight in gold compared to some over-the-top, convoluted plan that just gathers dust.
Let me share a little secret with you. I tend to be the king of "overcomplication".
I'd plan so intensely that I'd lose sight of the actual execution. But I learned my lesson, and now I'm all about finding that sweet spot in planning – the perfect balance.
As entrepreneurs, if we're just meandering through life without a plan, we're like driftwood caught in someone else's current. We get pulled INTO other people's plans, and that's not where we want to be.
In the world of freelancing, hanging out with that person with the plan often means working for an agency at a fraction of the price they're charging their big-shot clients. You become the outsourced work, not the mastermind behind the project.
That's probably not the dream you're chasing.
So, what's the alternative? We're going to craft our annual plan. This plan is going to be your North Star, your guiding light, pointing you in a direction that's infinitely better than aimlessly drifting along.
We're going to be intentional in our pursuits, not aimless wanderers.
That's the goal here, and it's a goal worth pursuing with all your freelance might.
So, let's create a plan that'll help 2024 be your best year ever, because remember... if you don't have a plan, you'll end up in someone else's plan.
In this episode you’ll discover:
For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/289
#292: The Rock-Solid 8 Part Client Agreement For Starting Every Project Off Right | The Infinite Clients Series
#291: How To Create A Viral Freelancing Business That Gives You "Infinite" Clients | The Infinite Clients Series
#290: Here Are 11 Big (And Small) Projects You Can Take On In 2024 To Bring In Big Money
#288: He Turned His 6 Figure Freelance Design Business Into A 7 Figure Agency | With Michael Janda
#287: The Follow Up Process That Helped Me Double My Freelance Business | The Sales Series
#286: The SUPER Simple 4 Part Process For Sales Calls | The Sales Series
#285: The Entire Freelance Sales Process From Beginning To End | The Sales Series
#284: Stuck With Low $$$ Projects? Here's How To Level Up To $50,000 Projects | With Ryan Koral (Replay)
#283: The 3 Strategies For Staying Top-of-Mind & Getting More Gigs | The Lead Nurture Series
#282: Mapping Out The 7 Essential Stages Of The Complete Client Journey | The Lead Nurture Series
#281: The 4 Building Blocks of Turning Strangers Into Clients | The Lead Nurture Series
#280: Hackers Spent $3k Of My Money Promoting Elderly Women's Bras, And Here's What I Learned | Cyber Security Basics
#279: Mastering The Art Of Self-Promotion | The Lead Generation Series
#278: The 4 Types of Lead Magnets That Actually Work | The Lead Generation Series
#277: The Secret to Consistent Clients | The Lead Generation Series
#276: Shifting Your Clients From One-Time Projects To Monthly Recurring Subscriptions | With Annemie Tonken
#275: Time Management For Freelancers | Back To Basics
#274: Dare To Suck | Why You Make More Money When You're Bad At Things
#273: Why Freelancers Are Vulnerable To "The Inbred Business Trap" (And What That Means For You)
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