Another year in the books. Most people take time off in December to relax before the new year. But this is the time of year when most clients plan what 2024 will look like for them - and how their partners fit into the mix. That’s where you come in.

This time of year is the perfect time to reflect, review, and begin planning 2024. Here are 3 things you can do to start off 2024 with some revenue in the books and have a game plan to grow your biz.

Reach Out To Current Clients

This is the time of year to reach out to current clients and see where they’re at. How do you come into play for their 2024 business strategy?

How have the projects you’ve done with them performed?

If you had a retainer, what terms make sense for this new year?

It’s on you to keep client relationships flourishing. Don’t expect clients to reach out to you. You’re in total control. You might be surprised to learn that December is actually the highest revenue month for a lot of businesses. Make some magic happen before 2024 starts.

Review Yearly Goals

Time to check in with ourselves and assess our progress on our goals.

Did you set out to go full-time with photography this year?

Maybe you aimed high and hit six figures as a creative.

Or maybe you finally ran a marathon.

Whatever your goals were, assess how you followed your standard of achieving them. Did you show up every day and do the actions required to achieve the goal?

Goals without a set standard of how you’ll achieve them are just dreams. You make your dreams a reality by creating a set of daily and weekly actions you follow to reach those goals. Rate yourself on how well you followed the standard this year and fix anything that needs fixing. If you’ve accomplished some major milestones, celebrate. Buy that thing that’s been on your wishlist, take that vacation, eat at that fancy restaurant.

Hit The Ground Running In January

My business coach calls this time of year “separation season.” Most people sit back, overindulge, and go backward. Few put their foot on the gas and set themselves up for success before 2024 even starts.

While this may seem extreme, there’s something really powerful about momentum. I can remember so many times in my business career when I was in the zone for weeks at a time. Then I’ll take a few days or a week where I’m not working as much, and I lose all focus when I return to work. It takes me days or longer to get back into that state of flow. I’m happiest when I’m making progress towards my goals.

Now, I’m not saying you should overwork and burn yourself out. But figure out what activities give you energy and what drains your energy. Do more of the former.

This is the time to start going after whatever New Year's resolutions you may have. Don’t wait another 3 weeks. Start now.

Establish a new habit that will serve you throughout all of 2024. Maybe waking up an hour earlier is what you’re missing. Maybe it’s a new workout routine that you can actually stick to. Or maybe you’re nervous about reaching out to clients so you begin putting yourself in one uncomfortable situation a day to build up confidence.

Whatever you need to implement to create the life you’re dreaming of, start now.