It’s still very early in the year, and I’m excitedly working on my 2016 business plan, thinking about everything I’d like to accomplish in my business this year.
My first priority is determining how to serve my clients better. I’m thinking about what I can do to support them after the business plan is complete. I haven’t done well at this over the past few years and I need to be better at it.
My second priority though, is getting clearer about how I want my business to support my lifestyle. And this is something you need to think about, too.
Your Business is Your Life
I write a lot about setting business goals, but I haven’t written much about how to set those goals in the context of the rest of your life. Your business and your life are necessarily intertwined, so it makes sense that your business objectives not only serve the growth of your company, but also serve your personal growth and your desired lifestyle.
Even if you have a company that essentially runs without you, your business is still your life – it’s the thing that ensures you get to do exactly what you want to do every day.
At least – that’s where we’re all trying to go with this whole entrepreneurship thing, right? 
But if your company is your only source of income, your livelihood literally depends on having a healthy business.
So how can you make sure your business and your life maintain a healthy relationship?
Keeping Your Business and Life Marriage Happy
- Align your business goals with your personal goals. So you want your company to earn $200,000 this year. Assuming you’ve budgeted to know how much of that you get to withdraw for yourself, will it be enough to fund your family trip to Hawaii or those new tires you need for your car or your kid’s tuition payment? If not, you may need to set a loftier goal (with a great plan behind it, of course!) or dial back your personal plans…if that’s even possible.
- Get really clear on what’s important for you to achieve personally. Of course we’d all love to pay off the mortgage, take two vacations, upgrade our vehicles and lose 15 pounds. Of all your grand plans, which ones will truly fulfill you? What will make you look back on 2016 and say “WOW – that was amazing”? Once you’ve prioritized what’s most important to you, go back to your business plan and make sure the objectives you’d laid out will make your personal dreams possible.
- Find a theme that represents your business and your life – together. This year, my theme is ABUNDANCE. I’m also prioritizing JOY. My reasons for choosing these themes are for another post, but you can read about the process and its impact on Chris Brogan’s blog.
What happens if you don’t do this? It could lead to an ugly breakup. If your business isn’t setting you on a path to live your ideal lifestyle, you might start to resent your company. Your clients and customers will feel that negative energy, and your business could suffer.
So as I build my 2016 business plan alongside the students in my 2016 Business Planning Challenge, I’m thinking about how to build abundance and joy into both my business and my life. To that end, I’ve set the following goals for 2016 (this isn’t all of them…just a few)
- Earn 50% more than my business did in 2013, which was my highest revenue year to date. That will allow me to hire more support staff to work with my clients (Abundance), pay myself a little more (Abundance), and travel to all three of my Mastermind retreats (Joy), among other things.
- Attract 3 new coaching clients per month (to a maximum of 12). I get to help more people who can’t afford or don’t need full business plans (Abundance), observe and participate in their success (Joy), and build a more consistent income stream (Abundance).
- Develop a post-business plan support program for my current and past clients. By doing this, my clients should be more successful and less stressed out (Joy), and have more time for their own personal pursuits (Joy and Abundance).
How will your 2016 business goals support your personal ones? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!