Ready to set your copywriting business up for success in 2022? Nicki and Kate are sharing ways they set their copywriting businesses up for success each new year. From scheduling regular check-ins with yourself on your goals to exploring what those goals are in the first place, they are digging into ways you can make 2022 the best year yet.
You’ll want to have your calendar pulled up during this episode so you can schedule regular meetings with yourself, including bigger quarterly check-ins and quick weekly check-ins. These planning sessions don’t have to be long but are necessary to keep yourself on track (or get back on track before you really get off the rails).
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A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[1:17] On this episode Nicki and Kate discuss how to set up 2022 to be your best year yet with tips, habits, goal setting and other great advice! Grab a pen and paper, you will want to take notes on this one.
[1:43] Kate starts off discussing the importance of setting attainable goals. Setting a giant goal for the entire year can set you up for failure. Nicki and Kate explain how quarterly goals are easier to manage because you can break the goals down and schedule times to check in to ensure you are on track. Breaking quarterly goals down from 90 days to monthly goals to weekly goals makes them more organized and achievable.
[4:07] Nicki and Kate discuss ways to check in on your goals and to add that time to your calendar. You are the CEO of your own business and so you should set aside times to meet like a CEO would with their employees. During these meetings you should analyze the progress you’ve made, where you are, what you’ve done and what you need to improve and if you need to shift in your strategy. Kate provides a clear outline for scheduling these weekly, monthly, and quarterly check ins and how to create a plan to achieve and adjust your goals as needed.
[9:54] Nicki discusses different ways to determine a goal that is meaningful to you. Although we tend to default to financial goals, your business goals do not need to be financially focused. Nicki and Kate provide examples for goals that can help you get to the work lifestyle you are aiming for. Your goals could be anywhere from saving money for vacation, taking certain days off each week, digging deeper into a specific topic, landing work with a certain type of client or industry, etc. You have the opportunity to figure out what matters to you and what you want your career to look like.
[14:14] Sticking to your time-off goals is challenging, Kate recommends creating visual reminders in your calendar. She explains how if you don’t block the time in your calendar you wont remember that you wanted to take it off. Schedule vacation time and even though you love what you do, its important to take time for yourself.
[15:13] Nicki and Kate dig deeper into financial and business planning. Nicki explains how her favorite activity to do is a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis looks at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as objectively as possible to analyze your business on a deeper level. This is a great exercise to determine where your growth areas are and this can be a great starting point when goal setting.
[20:27] Nicki continues with business planning and explains the importance of balancing the money that is coming in vs. the money that is going out. Nicki and Kate explain why you need to set up a separate business account and how that can for taxes. They also encourage talking to a bookkeeper to help go through your financials in the beginning of the year to get their input on how you can save money, time, and/or effort. The start of the year is a great time to do this since your finances are fresh and you can start the new year organized.
[27:10] What time of day are you most productive? Nicki and Kate recommend reflecting on your work patterns in order to set yourself up for success in 2022. Track where your time is going in a google sheet, rate your energy levels, creativity, distraction levels and after a couple weeks, check back in to see if you notice any patterns. Be honest with yourself about the time you are using and then create your work schedule around those patterns.
[34:43] When creating a work schedule that matches your productivity, remember this can look different than a M-F, 9-5 job. Figure out the number of days and hours you want to work and make your schedule work for you. As a freelancer, you have control over your schedule and remember that it can change, Maybe during winter you work more and summers you take Fridays off? You have the ability to plan your schedule and make it work for you.
[37:11] The last thing that Nicki and Kate suggest adding to your calendar is a daily meeting with yourself. At the start of each workday, sit down and write the one big thing you have to get done each day but make sure it is an activity that will move your business forward. Kate and Nicki explain that scheduling these check in meetings with yourself are not meant to take away time from your workday but they are to help you stay on track. The more you check in, the more you are on track to accomplish your goals and have your best year yet.
Mentioned on the Episode
- Book Recommendation: The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results
- Podcast Ep 11: Tax and Bookkeeping Tips for Freelance Copywriters
- The SWOT Analysis for Copywriters
Related Links
- How to Set Up Your Schedule When Working from Home
- 4 Tools to Stay On Top of Your To Do List
- Setting Up a Plan for a Successful New Year
- Define Your Own Copywriting Success
- Opening a Business Bank Account as a Copywriter
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
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Last Updated on September 10, 2023
