What have you got planned for next year? I have been asked this question so many times in the last few weeks – And I’m sure you have too! For those who have been part of the Green Umbrella tribe for some time, you’ll be expecting the annual article where I lay out our goals for the year in public. Some of you tell me it’s inspiring to read, some say they love the transparency. There are even a few of you who have started the same tradition in your own businesses! It will be interesting to see what the response is this year for sure!

“2022 – The year it all comes together”

That was the title of last year’s blog. On reflection, I feel good about what I set out to do. We’d had a crazy 2021 with lots of creating going on and this year was about ensuring what we’d built was solid. We absolutely needed that, and as we enter the end of the year with talks of economic situations making the next couple of years tough for many businesses, I’m glad this was the path we took!

When I look through the goals I set, the objectives and individual tasks, there really isn’t much that didn’t happen in one form or another. There are a few things that got struck off the list because successes meant they were no longer necessary, or there was a change in strategy that made those tasks redundant. The core things all happened, which I’m delighted about!

What did we achieve in 2022?

“The team will be showcased more, you’ll see them across our social media activity, and you’ll hear from them more…” The team essentially run live lunch without me; when we head to events, the team come and has their own networks because of the visibility they’ve embraced.

One of the goals was to ensure we lived by our values – I love that the values are referenced again and again just in normal office communications. I’m delighted that when we receive feedback from clients, I can see that they’ve experienced our values in what they’ve written. Most of all, I love that the values are used as leverage when, as a team, we need to call each other out on something or push each other to accept help. Having your values on the wall is one thing – living and breathing them is quite another!

I was perhaps a little cryptic in the way I expressed some of the goals I set in last year’s blog. We needed to really tighten up systems and processes and create some efficiencies to ensure we were all only working on things that were a good use of our time – especially me! This has been done – a big tick here! I think at times I’ve frustrated the team with the phrase, “Can we do a one-pager on that” but it has been worth it to build clarity and certainty across a bunch of things we do. In achieving this goal, we also had to make big changes to our coaching club offering. That was like turning the titanic! Mostly because of my mindset around it – it felt like my baby, and I did not want to let it go. But the plaster has well and truly come off now, and the changes have been for the better.

I needed to focus on being innovative and spending time with my peers, but not getting distracted with new shiny stuff. I feel a great big tick here! There are tons of things that I’ve tried and tested this year marketing-wise, and my circle of industry friends has certainly grown and strengthened. What I’m most pleased with is the fact that I really didn’t start anything new and instead was able to develop and perfect so many things that were in existence already. (Or at least I didn’t start anything new until the Christmas break, but that’s pre-work for 2023, so it doesn’t count!)

Here’s the secret – the plan is there’s no 2023 plan!

This might be a shock to you. I have agonised over 2023 and what I want to do next; what’s the big plan, the big goal? What needs to change, etc. In business and in my personal life, the last few years have been huge. Personally, I nailed a goal that has been years reaching completion, and so trying to create a vision that is bigger has been overwhelmingly difficult. In talking with one of my peers, and someone who has become a friend, it became clear that my one goal right now is to enjoy the fruits of our labour! Just do more of what we’ve been doing but do it better. So what does that mean for team GU?

The 2022 plan was solid – it’s our duty to see it completed in full.

Having been through the full breakdown of tasks, there are just over 70 things that still need to be done. Only two of these are big projects, monetising the Christina Talks Podcast and something else that I’ve started working on over the Christmas period that will come into fruition in Q1 2023! Many of the tasks are those 5-minute jobs that, although important, never quite make it to the top of the to-do list. These will all be completed before we reach week 12 of 2023.

I know my limits – I will not over-commit in 2023

One thing that became abundantly clear was that, as a business, I was guilty of over-committing myself, which meant I was less available for the team and, at times, let people down (externally as well as internally). I’m not proud of this, but it is an important lesson to take forward and do better.

We know what my capacity is when it comes to speaking at events, attending things that take me out of the office, etc. For example, in 2022, I delivered bang on 100 speaking events. These were face-to-face or online, some were paid, and some were without a fee but for the purposes of generating leads. Repeating this again in 2023 only works if I am more organised and smarter about the events I commit to. I have a limit for how many days per month I can be out of the office in 2023. My intention is to book no more than 100 speaker opportunities this year but to have reached a wider audience over the course of the year, to increase the number of paid opportunities and to have leveraged the opportunities I say yes to further. Essentially, I’ll do the same as I did in 2022 – just better!

In 2023 we will enjoy and celebrate our successes

In the last 12 months as a business, we’ve gone from zero awards to having eight of them! We’ve had some fabulous PR opportunities, delivered guest content left, right and centre, and met financial targets, and as a team, several of us have developed and met personal goals too.

But we’ve been shockingly rubbish at celebrating them. The most we’ve done is a few social media posts and maybe the odd blog. That’s me being a poor leader, and I need to do better.

2023 sees a personal milestone in that it will be 10 years since I first joined Green Umbrella. My personal journey from then till now is something I am hugely proud of, and so I have a couple of things planned to allow me to celebrate the milestone. Believe it or not, celebrating my own success is not something that comes naturally – it will 100% put me outside of my comfort zone, but we’ll get it done anyway!

In 2023 we will renew focus on the strategies and tactics that got us to where we are

This is the exciting bit of the plan! Let me ask you, what is it you’ve done previously that worked for you in business or in your personal life that you somehow have stopped doing? It’s crazy, but there are so many things that work; we take a little break from them but then never pick up again! As we move into year 13 of business, there are a few things that have popped up! Look out for more opportunities to join us for in-person training events and workshops, and webinars. Over the course of 2022, I got as much of what was in my head as I could out and organised it into a system, The Marketing Mastery Framework. This has now become a three-day course and has reignited some of the workshops we used to offer and so we’ll be offering more opportunities to work with us in this capacity in 2023.

In 2023, we refuse to be complacent

As I said earlier, I’m not making huge plans for 2023, as I want us to enjoy things for the moment instead of simply chasing the next big thing. That doesn’t mean there’s no progress in 2023 – complacency is not an option! At the end of Q1, I’ll be looking at things again, and if it’s time to shift gears, of course, we’ll be doing it, and of course, I’ll update you!

What about your personal goals Christina?

I usually share a few of my personal goals as well when I put this together but again, my personal goals are not crazy! In 2022 I developed habits I want to maintain. I found a circle of people I want to ensure I always protect energy for.

In 2022 I achieved some amazing personal milestones, but they are all related to business. So I’d like to end 2023 reflecting on some milestones that are not business related! There are a bunch of everyday things that ‘everyone’ has done that I never have, and so I’m planning on knocking a few of those off the list! Random things like learning how to roller skate, maybe…

There are a couple of projects I’m working on outside of the business that also excites me – they are of an entrepreneurial nature, but they’re my fun stuff, my social stuff, and the stuff that helps me further in my personal mission. In 2023 I want to make sure I’m exploring more of this stuff, and I know I’m already on track for success on that front!

Not the usual plan, is it?!?

There you have it! The plan for 2023 is essentially no plan. Roll the old one forward and regroup in March! If you had asked me a month ago, on the inside, I would have been having a meltdown, thinking, ‘crap, I’ve got no plan’! The truth is, there’s always a plan, it’s yours, and you get to define it! Once I realised that – I just got to work.

2023 is already in progress, and it has been for a few weeks – I feel like I’ve arrived early, so I guess I’ll see you when you get here!