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I hope you got to read my previous blog post titled “Let’s get real for 2020 and all things goal setting" [Part 1] When I started writing that post I had no idea it would turn into a two-part blog post, it just started to pour out. I didn’t intend to get so personal and have hesitated over the past few months about writing my personal stories. But I figured it was best that I started to let you all in (one of my new year goals) so you can learn more about why I started the Transaction Coordinator Bootcamp and why it is so important to me.
Let’s get to planning your 2020 TC business with some ideas and inspiration!
I don’t know about you but the beginning of the new year always feels exciting but a little scary to me. I get overwhelmed at all the things I want to accomplish but I also get motivated thinking about how it’s a fresh start. It feels like I get a do-over. A time to let go of the past and think about the future.
A whole new year just seems to bring so much possibility, doesn’t it? It’s a time to dream about all the things we want to accomplish….start that new business, lose those 10 pounds, plan the family vacation, buy a house, remodel your kitchen (my personal favorite).
Those things won’t happen without a plan to make it happen. Making the plan requires thought and steps to accomplish the goal. Breaking it down into small bite-size steps really helps me to see how I am going to do something. It helps reduce the overwhelm, plus it helps me to see how I’m going to make it happen.
I took a paid workshop in December about how to plan my 2020 business goals. Sounds silly but I got soooo much out of it. So much so that I wanted to share with you the process that I went through to plan my 2020 in hopes it will help you plan yours.
First of all, I left my house when I did this. I went to my local coffee shop, grabbed some hot tea and got to it. I recommend going somewhere that you can get away from all the distractions of home. The buzzer on the washer makes me want to get up and put clothes in the dryer, or Mark coming down the hallway asking “what are we having for dinner?”, really ruin my concentration vibe so off to Cafe Lladro it is!
I am going to share the steps and prompts I was working from to help give you some inspiration in planning your biz for the upcoming year.
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STEP 01: Looking back on 2019
No matter whether you crushed your goals, fell off the wagon, or somewhere in between its important to take a step back and see what worked and what didn’t.
My outline prompted me to write down some of the following:
What was my favorite business experience in 2019?
This one was easy for me. Creating the TC Bootcamp was my favorite business experience this year. While it was a lot of work, just the whole creation process was so much fun for me.
What felt easy?
While there weren’t a lot of things that felt easy this past year I managed to choose 1 thing that felt easy.
What felt hard?
I think that when embarking on anything new it can all feel hard at times. My biggest challenges came with the hard stuff but I have to say my biggest rewards this past year also came from the hard stuff. Pushing through it all took me time when I came across things that felt scary and out of my comfort zone.
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What do I NEVER want to do again?
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What services or products did I offer that made the most revenue this year?
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What was the least?
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How much money did I gross this year?
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What were my total expenses?
Whether you have been a TC for a long or short time, I encourage you to keep a least a google spreadsheet on what your expenses are so you can see what worked and what didn’t. Going back over my expenses, especially monthly recurring type stuff like the software I’ve used was good for me. I ended up cancelling several things that I wasn't using or wasn’t making a difference in my business.
STEP 02: Brainstorming Your Opportunities and Big Ideas
- If you could wave a magic wand and you could do anything in your business and not fail, what would it be? What would a super successful year look like for you?
- Write down all your ideas and opportunities that could generate money in your business, grow your business, automate your systems, position you as the expert in the TC biz. Don’t hold back, GO BIG! This is something that should make you EXCITED about the possibilities for 2020!
This was a great exercise for me. It really got my creative juices flowing. I spent some time and got a lot out of my head that I have been thinking about and wanting to do. I took about 30 minutes and just started writing.
Here are some examples to inspire you:
- Start a virtual Transaction Coordinator Business (if you’re just starting out)
- Generate 25 new clients this year
- Learn 5 new marketing strategies to grow my business
- Hire another TC or assistant to start to scale my business
- Hit $100,000 in revenue
- Add 300 people to my network of potential clients on an email list
- Hire a coach or join a mastermind group to support you in your business
- Land a popular media appearance such as a local Real Estate Podcast show
- Get paid to coach other TC’s
- Add a high-end service that real estate agents need such as running FB ads
- Use Pinterest to Market my biz
- Join LinkedIn and start connecting with real estate agents and real estate vendors
STEP 03: Find Your Opportunities (part one & part two)
So there are going to be two parts to this step. Part one is identifying your money-making opportunities and Part two is identifying your lead generation opportunities.
Part One: Money Making Opportunities
Go back to the list you made in the previous step two. Ask yourself these questions:
- What will generate the most revenue for you?
- Which opportunities do you feel will help your clients the most?
- What do your clients need the most?
Out of those answers write down your top 3-5 things that will generate the most money for you in 2020
Part Two: Identify your lead generation opportunities
This is important because if you’re not intentional about growing your network and generating leads for potential clients then your not going to hit your revenue goals.
Once again you’re going to go back to the list you created in step two and ask yourself these questions:
- What opportunities will give me the most exposure to my ideal audience?
- What opportunities will generate the most leads for new clients?
- What lead generation ideas get you the most excited? Does it feel fun?
Out of those lead generation, opportunities write down your top 3-5 to work on for 2020
Note: In the TC Bootcamp I teach you how to market your TC biz and show you several ways to find new clients. When your first starting out I recommend you try out as many of the lead generation opportunities as you can. Try out what fits for you and your business.
Over the course of your first 6-12 months look at which opportunities have moved the needle in your business. Once you have found the best strategies for getting clients that work for you then focus on your top 3-5 things.
It’s better to be strategic and focus more on a few things that work really well over and over than focus on many different things all at once, all the time. If you’re just starting out your TC business it may take some time to get a handle on where most of your business is coming from, so take some time and experiment to see what works best for you.
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STEP 04: Decide on Your Non-Negotiables
Look back over the past year and think about some things that you don’t want to do again and things that you wanted to do but didn’t.
Examples To Inspire You:
- I am no longer going to work evenings
- I am no longer going to work with clients that are _______?
- Setting up a specific boundary in your biz that you have been meaning to do but haven’t yet
- I will no longer take on clients that don’t respect my time and services
- I am taking a two-week vacation in July
- Spend more time with family
STEP 05: Write down your income goal for 2020
This is your dream goal. Don’t think about how you’re going to do it, just declare your number.
STEP 06: Now it’s time to add things to your calendar.
Begin by adding all the commitments you currently have. If its a job, kids games to attend, holidays, vacation time planned, doctor’s appointments, etc.
- Go back to step 3 and review your top money-making opportunities and your top lead generation opportunities.
Depending on whether your TC business is new or you’ve been at it for a while will determine how you add these things to your calendar.
If you’re just starting out you will be more focused on the training you need to start your business and on marketing to build up your clientele.
- Are you working another job and trying to transition to a TC biz working from home? Add the list that you came up with to your calendar and decide which ones you will focus on first. Will it be daily, weekly, or will some opportunities be monthly? How much time each day will you spend on each activity?
- How much time will you set aside daily to accomplish your goals?
You can add to your calendar a couple of different ways. You can plan quarterly, bi-annually, or plan for the whole year at once. For some planning out the whole year is a bit overwhelming so if that’s you then work on a quarterly basis, to begin with.
STEP 08: Review your calendar
Look back over your calendar and make sure you have planned out enough white space. If not then work on adding that in.
Ask yourself if you have enough time to plan marketing and income-producing activities. There will be some strategic planning to account for. If not then go back and tweak your calendar.
Try to stick to your calendar plan as much as possible. If something comes up and you need to change things around just do your best to stay consistent with your schedule the remaining time.
STEP 09: If you’re going to make big goals for 2020 don’t forget your mindset!
Who do you need to be to accomplish your goals? Will this involve pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone? More than likely it will.
What thoughts do you need to have to keep moving forward with your plan and goals? What will you do when you hit some resistance? Because it’s not if, it’s when. It happens to all of us. I hit a lot of resistance this past year. Sometimes it took me longer than others to push past it but I can say without a doubt I was able to push past it 98% of the time. I kept remembering my big why.
What did I want my life to look like and was I working towards that or was I letting fear stop me? Fear is a big one, my friend. It can paralyze us in so many ways. Don’t let that happen to you! Feel the fear and do it anyway!
My mantra for 2019 has been “done is better than perfect”. I tend to be the perfectionist type and let fear stop me from moving forward until something I’m working on is absolutely perfect. This mantra has also helped me move past my fear when I am doing something out of my comfort zone. After all, if we are staying within our comfort zone, we are not growing and moving forward. I choose growth, what about you?
I raise my glass to you and wish you the most profitable and best year yet!
Cheers🎉
Joni
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