We are 251 days into 2015. How’s your business doing? (A 10-point check up).

Yesterday I saw a crisp golden leaf flutter past my window. And I swear, the local shopkeepers are already itching to put up their “Black Friday” signs and winter holiday decorations. I can see the glint in their eyes.

I know that means one thing:

Summer is coming to an end… and autumn is swiftly upon us!

We’re 251 days into 2015.

Astrologically speaking, right now is a great time for a life and business check-up to take stock of what’s working, what’s not working, and where to place your focus for the remaining 251 days of this year… and the new year, too! (Upcoming Mercury retrograde on September 17th – perfect time to review/retreat/renew.)

Here’s a 10-point business check up that I devised for my own nefarious purposes. I used the following questions to do a business-audit on myself, earlier this week, and came to a few, ahem, interesting conclusions! I enjoyed it so much I figured, why not share? Hope you dig it, too.

(For best results, print out this blog post or paste the text into a document so you have room to write your responses to each question. Happy trails!)

1. Money.

– Do you have a money “target” or “goal” for 2015 (aka: an amount of money that you are hoping to keep in your pocket, after taxes and expenses?)

– If so, are you on track to hit that number? Why or why not?

– How about your spending? Is it time to review your automatic monthly payments to various programs and places and memberships to see if everything is strictly necessary for your business to thrive?

– If you hired someone to support your business this year, how is that working out? Are you seeing a definite “return” on your investment?

– Has your definition of “wealth” changed this year? If so, what’s your new money goal?

2. Focus.

– What are the websites, blogs, beeps, pings, habits, and other pesky culprits that derail your focus — on a regular basis — when you are trying to work? What could you do to resolve them?

– When do you feel totally “in the zone”? What are the conditions that must be met in order for you to get into that groovy flow-state? How could you replicate those conditions for yourself more often?

3. Stress.

– Is something about your business keeping you awake at night, wrecking with your digestion, or otherwise stressing you out? What?

– If a beloved friend was stressin’ out the way you are, right now, what advice would you give to him / her to help resolve the situation?

– What are your go-to de-stressers? (Yoga, meditation, long walks, music, sex, etc.) Are you making time and space for these in your life? If not, why not?

4. Clients / customers.

– Out of all the clients / customers you’ve served this year, who have been your Top 3 Super Favorites? How come? What was it about working with them that felt so special / rewarding? (Make a mental note: try to attract more of these kinds of peeps in the future!)

– Out of all the clients / customers you’ve served this year, who have been your Top 3 Most Dreaded? How come? Do you need to adjust your website language, policies, or pricing to deflect these kinds of customers in the future?

5. Story.

– What kind of “story” are you telling through your blog, your podcast, your newsletter, and other business / media platforms? Are you still excited to tell this particular story about yourself, or is it starting to feel “out of date”?

Example: Maybe you don’t want to be known as the “I beat cancer” chick anymore (it feels like old news; you’ve got other facets of your life that you’d like to share). Or maybe you don’t want to be known as a “life coach” anymore (truth is, you’re an astrologer and that’s your main focus these days).

– How do you want people to perceive you? Remember you? Think about you? Talk about you? Is it time to start transitioning into a new storyline?

6. Image.

– If you’re eager to start telling a new story, do you need new visuals / photos / branding to match?

– Is your headshot on your website feeling like a relic from a 1970s high school yearbook?

– Poke around your website. Are certain sections feeling musty, out of date, cluttered, or just kinda “meh”? Any broken links or outdated pages? What are the top 3 areas that could use a little sprucing up?

7. Fun.

– Are you having FUN running your business? (As my gal Melissa puts it, “If you’re not having fun, rest assured: your customers can feel it. They won’t be having much fun either.”)

– What are the most fun parts of your work? Least fun parts?

– How could you bring a little more joy, levity, and pleasure into your daily routine?

8. Content.

– Are you creating helpful / inspiring / motivating / entertaining content (aka: blog posts, videos, podcasts, social media content, free courses, etc.) for the people in your business audience on a regular basis? Or has it been a long, long while since you released something new?

– What’s the biggest problem / struggle / dilemma that the people in your business audience seem to be facing right now? Could you create “something” (some piece of content, anything at all) to help?

9. Gratitude.

– Who helps to keep your business afloat? Who inspires you, encourages you, and lifts you up when you’re feeling derailed? Have you called or written to say “thank you” lately?

– How about your paying clients and big-time fans? When’s the last time you said “THANKS!” with a quick email, a handwritten note, or a small gift?

– How abut your everyday life, outside of your “work”? What’s good? What’s great? What’s going right in your world?

10. Vision.

– What’s your “big vision” for the rest of this year? How about next year?

– If you were going to write down 3 – 5 key business projects (courses you want to develop, services you want to launch, books you want to write, etc.) that you really want to bring forth into the world next year (2016), what would they be? Make a list.

– How about 3 – 5 personal projects or experiences (vacations, travel experiences, personal development, personal goals, etc.) that you want to do / experience next year? What’s on that list?

[Side note: if you’re feeling foggy about your “big vision,” feeling overwhelmed about how to make it all come to fruition, or struggling with too many ideas and not much focus… consider joining me here. I’d love to help you get clarity and come up with a plan that makes you go, “Yesssss. That.”]

Once you’ve completed your 10-point check up, read through your notes and musings and desired changes and ask yourself:

What can I change now?

Not everything has to wait until “the new year.” Yes, I know, it’s tempting to postpone everything until that magical date-flip on the calendar, but that’s kind of like the entrepreneurial equivalent of saying, “I’ll start my healthy diet on… uh, Monday.”

Why not make the necessary changes now? Or at least a couple of ‘em?

Upgrade what you can, sooner rather than later, to set yourself up for greater peace of mind and success.

That way, when January 1st rolls around, as it always does, you’ll be ahead of the curve — already rockin’ out some new practices and systems that will help you to soar.

Here’s to a fabulous final 251 days of 2015, and beyond!

Theresa

PS. I am offering an epic “Final Countdown” business mentoring package for people who want to get seriously focused and clear, and rock out the final days & weeks of 2015 in high gear.

This bundle includes:

– A Tarot + astrology-powered forecast for the year ahead (auspicious dates to know, things to avoid, projects and themes to focus on and answers to burning biz questions, all tailored to your star chart.)

– A seat at The Soulful Proprietor Retreat this October at my studio in Milwaukee. Yoga. Tarot. Business planning. Sisterhood. Gourmet food. Good times. (If you can’t attend, you can generously gift your ticket to an employee, colleague, or friend.)

– A 30-minute Tarot reading that you can use anytime between now and 12/31/16.

– A copy of Get In Charge, my new e-course on money, boundaries, business policies, and how to command respect (and prompt, happy payments) from clients, by respecting yourself first and foremost.

-A copy of Creative Coupling, my e-book for entrepreneurs and the people that love them. Learn how to make your relationship + your business work together.

Total investment: $850.00 [This bundle of joy saves you… quite a bundle. You’d pay $100.00 more if you bought all of these services separately.]

Interested? Hit me up at theresa@thetarotlady.com and put FINAL COUNTDOWN in your email subject line. We’ll get to work right away. It would be my honor to help you make the rest of 2015 your most productive, profitable and energizing quarter of the year! (Psst…be speedy – the doors to the Soulful Proprietor Retreat will close next Wednesday September 16th at 10PM CT.)

image from stock photography