Business Review - My Annual Assessment
As part of my annual business review, I take the time to look back at the calendar pages and record my activities for the year. I separate them into three categories –
Business Trips
Chamber of Commerce Activities
Community Groups
This gives me a sense of how my time outside the office is being spent and does it match the ROI for each area?
Business Trips
Normally we take between 5 and 10 business trips a year. The pandemic changed all that in 2020. We managed to get in one long trip during January, but that’s pretty much the end of it. We mixed some family time in with that as a Granddaughter got married.
Trips – 2020:
Quartzsite – Tucson – Amarillo – Tonopah (Turquoise Mining) – Henderson, NV (Parking Lot Sale and Silversmith Class)
Chamber of Commerce Activities:
As a member of the Cedar City Chamber Ambassadors we are the face of the Chamber and help our business members get recognition for grand openings, anniversaries, special events, etc. Each year we end up attending between 12 – 24 events depending on the business community. There were more ribbon cuttings than I was able to attend this year because of the pandemic, but these are the events I was able to attend.
Red Rock Spa Opening – Restore Opening – Utah Rural Summit - Mountainland Supply Opening - Dixie Rocks & Fossil Store – Cedar City Christmas Light Show
Other members helped with the Cedar Band of the Piutes Travel Center Opening, The Plumbing Supply Opening , and The Annual Pumpkin Festival.
During the Pandemic we were asked to reach out to Chamber Members and help them get connected to PPP Grants and other assistance. I visited with the Cedar Bowling Center and steered them towards the Utah program, as they had already received a PPP Grant. And with the help of the Chamber CEO, Chris McCormick, I was able to assist the Southern Utah Rock Club, Inc. to some funding to replace the Annual Rock Show they weren’t able to hold.
Community Groups
My husband Is a member of the Southern Utah Rock Club, Inc. and the Southern Nevada Gem and Mineralogical Society Group. That keeps him, and me, busy with rock trips and other he teaches silversmithing at both locations. Both clubs had their shows cancelled due to the pandemic, but he did teach until November in Cedar City and Henderson, Nev.
I’m a member of the local Fiber Arts Group and our meetings have also been cancelled most of the year. Some of those that are not worried about catching the Virus have continued to meet at The Grind in Cedar City each Wednesday to Knit and chat. It will be nice when we can all participate.
My other community group is the Frontier Homestead Museum Foundation, the Friends group for our local State Park/Museum. We met 4 times during the year and attempted to continue supporting the Park through our website and membership drive. I was hoping for 100 new and renewed members, but that hasn’t happened. I’m hoping we’ll be able to improve our numbers in 2021. It’s open to the public and requires nothing but your annual dues. Visit our Facebook group or website.
What Do You Do?
I’ve added this category this year as I’m coaching and supporting clients in their journey to start or change their small business. This first year has resulted in over a dozen clients and a learning curve for me. We’ve worked together, some through the Women’s Business Center in Cedar City, to find their focus, mission, and unique selling proposition. I’m grateful for their trust and enjoyed sharing my experiences during many years of retailing in a tourist based economy.
Professional Development
I’ve added this category as well. Without the 4-6 rock shows we attend for my husband to sell his jewelry, and the misc. activities that I participate in through the Ambassadors, I found I had a lot of time on my hands. Thus, I took advantage of the many courses, seminars and workshops (most all for free) that were being offered through my online community.
I ended up with Certificates for:
Content Strategist – Kaufmann Learning Facilitator – Email Marketing
I ‘ve enjoyed connecting with a number of other businesses through Linked In and Facebook. And all the input has given me a better focus on what I want to do as we move forward.
You’ll find weekly posts here at Jana’s Journals, and a growing collection of journals to purchase – because #Journal Writing Matters.
Look for Becky’s Books in March.
My coaching clients and others receive a brief email each Sunday morning. Each post is focused on helping others with their business, whether online or on-premise. You can sign up here if you’re interested. In addition there’s a link to schedule a complimentary 30-minutes consultation about how we can work together to help you achieve your goals. Don’t have any goals? We can fix that as well.
Summary
I’ll take the information from all these categories and compare them to my goals for this year, factor in the pandemic and possible impacts for 2021 and create a plan for next year. That plan will include various printables you’ll be able to purchase and journals (both free and available to purchase).
If I can help you through coaching or just giving you feedback, please fill out the contact form on my page or book an appointment. It’s all free unless you need further help. It’s free, because it’s my mission to “Pass It On” in honor of all those in my life that helped me.
Happy New Year!