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Welcome back to our LAST episode of the Business Journey podcast for 2021! Today, we're talking about how I prepare for the Q1 of 2022! I seriously cannot believe that it's almost 2022. How is that possible? I know I've said that the last few episodes, but it really is true. I hope that this episode inspires you and helps you feel more prepared for the start of the year!

Really quick… one other way to be prepared for the start of the new year is to check out my  $3K Mini Sessions Blueprint. It’s a step-by-step guide of what to do to make $3,000 on your next mini sessions. Whether you’ve hit that goal before or just want to see if there’s other ideas to try, grab this free guide. It will help you plan your minis for next year with even more confidence! Now back to Q1 planning!

Prepping for Q1 of 2022

When we talk about the first quarter of the year, I mean January, February and most of March. It's a slower season for most family photographers and it's a great time to be strategic about the work that you're doing. I want to share everything I do to prepare for the new year with you. It's easy to get caught up in just resting since we all survived the holidays and busy season, but I want to encourage you to use this time wisely.

Start with an overview of the year.

The first thing I do is get my huge 2022 wall calendar from Kat Schmoyer printed and put on my wall. Get yours here – Kat’s Quarterly Calendars! This allows me to look at the year as a whole. I get mine printed at Staples and then get it up on my office wall, but you could use it online too! Once it's up, I begin to fill it in. I always start with family tings – birthdays, our vacations, and anything we've committed to as a family. Next, I add what I may have committed to for the business – conferences, speaking engagements, travel. And from there, I decide on some mini session dates for the spring!

Look at your parking lot.

Once my calendar is setup, I look at what I call my “business parking lot” (thanks Kat!). This is a place where I put ideas that need to be done or I want to do but don't have the space for in that moment. These might be things like updating my website portfolio, my client guide, or whatever. So during this slower season at the start of the year, I pick out a few of these projects and decide when I'm going to do them. It's a great time to evaluate the blogs that you might want to do. And I always encourage you to review our workflows and automations in this season, too! Take the time to decide on projects you can focus on now – like Pinterest. PS – want more help  with Pinterest? Check out our Behind the Lens masterclass on that!

Get out my Powersheets.

The third and final thing I do is plan out my Q1 goals with the help of Lara Casey's Powersheets. PowerSheets aren't planners, but they're systems to help you define your goals. This allows me to look at yearly and quarterly goals. I like using Kat's Quarterly Calendar to lay out the focus once I know my goals. They might be something simple like just nailing down spring mini dates, then it's also doing promo shots, and all of the steps in our Mini Sessions Playbook. Those all become goals for that month in Q1!

I hope these three steps help you think about how you want to prepare for Q1 this year! I don't know about you but we had a crazy busy fall season and I'm excited to slow down, reset, and regroup going into the new year! Take advantage of your slow season and get ahead for 2022! I believe in you!

Links Mentioned

What We Discussed

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