When it comes to running a senior photography business, most of us are more creative than business minded. There’s no shame in that. We love to create magic with our seniors. But, the reality is: we also have a business to run. As the year comes to a close, a lot of people are talking about leveling up and building an even better business. But what does that mean? And how do we achieve that when all we want to do is take photos? To close out 2021, I’m starting a three part series here on the podcast to help you end 2021 and start 2022 off on the right foot. Today’s episode is the first in my “Your Best Year Yet” series! Let’s dive into how to do an end of year review!

To start off, let’s look back at 2021. Sit down and really think about how you feel about your business and how this year went. You may think that looking back is silly and want to just keep pushing through.. But, taking the time to reflect on the last year will give you clarity and allow you to better plan for next year. Now while you can set goals and evaluate your business anytime, there is just something about a new year and a fresh start! This end of year review will give you insight about what worked and what didn’t this past year. Using this information, you can set strategic goals for the next year!

I have a few things I want you to remember. The first: be honest with yourself! When you review, you need to be open and honest with yourself. This is a chance to pull back and look at the year as whole. You’re not shooting, you’re not knee-deep in editing or sending documents out. Take this slow moment to look at all of the good (and not so good) things about the last year. This review isn’t to just find what didn’t work. It’s also a chance to celebrate your achievements, too!  When you are reviewing what worked and what didn’t, don’t let the negative bring you down. It is natural to only remember the bad stuff!

There are a few key areas when it comes to running a successful senior portrait business, so you should take the time to evaluate the following areas. I’ve listed a few questions to get you started on each category!

• Time Management: Are you happy with your work/life balance? What does your ideal work day look like and how many of them are you really getting? Is there something in your business you can outsource or automate to save you time? What is one thing or more you do really well and do not need to change when it comes to your time?
  
• Client Communication/Experience: Were there clients you didn’t work well with or wished you’d said no to? How did your clients find you this year? What do you do well when you work with clients? How do your clients feel about the process from inquiry to gallery delivery?
  
• Finances: What was your total profit this year after expenses? Did you hit your revenue goal, why or why not? What were your biggest expenses and were they worth it? Which offering is most profitable or popular?
  
• Marketing: What areas of marketing did you do really well?  Where can you make improvements? How did your spokesmodel program do this year? What worked and what didn’t?
  
• Goals and Dreams: What were your 2021 goals? Did you reach them, why or why not? What are your goals for 2022?
  
• You/CEO: What did you do well this year and where could you improve? How did you manage your workload? Could you outsource or build a team to help with your workload? When it comes from education, who did you learn from most this year?
  

I know that’s a lot of questions. But, I promise if you sit down and look through the answers, you’ll be able to make decisions that will actually move your business forward. Once you complete this review, the next thing to do is to let it sink in. What stands out the most? Let that be your guide for the next year. Once you’ve processed that, start setting your 2022 goals!

To help you perform an end-of-the-year review for your senior photography business, I have a free download!!  This download will list all the questions so you can answer them, review the information and make a plan for your business for the upcoming year!  Grab the Free download HERE.

In the next episode of this series, we will get into the goal setting part of this process! For now, sit with your review, celebrate the things you did well and don’t let the things you didn’t get you down. We’ll go through how to plan your goals next week, so make sure to tune in!

Are you a member of the free Seniorologie Community on Facebook?  If not, I would love to have you join to continue this conversation and many more!  The Seniorologie Community is a great place to get to know other senior photographers, share your wins, ask advice and much more!  To join, click HERE!

Have we connected on Instagram?  If not, I would love to get to know you!  Come say hello and send me a DM so I can thank you for listening to The Seniorologie Podcast!

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Need help with your senior photography business?  I’ve put together lots of FREE resources to help you in your business!  You can have access to these awesome free resources HERE!

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The post Ep. 65: Your Best Year Yet Series: How to Do an End of Year Review appeared first on Seniorologie.