Reflection Guide for calligraphy business owners
As we navigate the journey of entrepreneurship, it's crucial to have periodic check-ins to reflect on what we've achieved, the lessons we've learned, and the roadmap ahead. Before we dive into this topic, grab my free reflection guide for calligraphers, which includes 16 introspective prompts and walks through 3 key metric areas to examine in your business. This is the exact guide that's helped me to evaluate and plan out my 6 figure calligraphy business.
Did you scroll past? I don’t want you to miss this valuable free resource that’s been helping calligraphers have revelations about their business and life! Take a look at some of their comments.
For a walkthrough of the guide, which I find especially helpful for the metrics section, listen to episode 2 of our podcast, Calligraphy Biz Corner. Alane of Write Pretty for Me and I share tips and talk through some of our own reflections to help get the juices flowing. Tune in by hitting play on the podcast or video below, and make sure to have your reflection guide handy!
Below are a few of the prompts discussed in this podcast episode. Be sure to download the full reflection guide to get the remaining prompts in an actionable format!
Tap into your intuition
Evaluating your past experiences, both positive and negative, can provide valuable insights that help guide the future of your business. Adopt an open and introspective mindset while reviewing the past year. Consider the obstacles you've overcome, the achievements that filled you with pride, and the situations that taught you the most impactful lessons. In the reflection guide, I separate the question prompts into three sections: What I Achieved, What I Learned, and What I Love. In the podcast episode, Alane and I answer three of the nine prompts in this section of the guide:
What was my proudest moment in business?
What’s standing between me and where I want my business to go?
How did my business support my life?
Own your numbers
Success as a business owner is not only about realizing your creative vision but also about understanding your business metrics. When it comes to assessing your business performance, numbers play a vital role. They provide facts that can validate or challenge your intuitive reflections, so it’s important to feel empowered over your numbers, rather than shying away from them. Be sure to download the reflection guide using the form at the top of this post to get a detailed breakdown on each of the metrics in this section.
Marketing Metrics: Evaluate the quality of your lead sources by looking at the number of leads from each source and their conversion rate (what percentage of those leads book with you). If a lead source generates a lot of leads but results in smaller deals or clients who don’t book with you, you’ll want to either spend less time on that lead source, or figure out how you can get a higher conversion rate.
Sales Metrics: Next, dive into your sales metrics, including revenue, profit, and profit margin. These numbers will give you insight into how much you're selling, your net income after expenses, and what percentage of the money you’re taking home. Use this information to help you strategically prioritize your time and resources towards different income streams.
Client Experience Metrics: Lastly, you’ll want to evaluate your client experience. Reviews and feedback help you understand the quality of your work and can highlight areas needing improvement. Testimonials build trust and provide social proof, so make sure you’re proactively asking for reviews. And remember, referrals are free marketing - happy clients lead to more happy clients!
Craft your future vision
Armed with your insights and numbers, it's time to set achievable goals for the future. In the podcast episode, we explore three of the seven questions in this section of the reflection guide:
1. What do I want my life to look like this year?
2. What does success look like for my business this year?
3. What will I say no to?
Your answers will help you cast a clear vision for your personal life and business journey. The goal is to create a business that supports your lifestyle and allows you to confidently say no to projects that don't align with your vision. Remember, building a business that aligns with your values might require diversifying your revenue streams, pivoting your services, or even (in my case) foregoing your biggest revenue stream.
Next Steps
After you’ve completed the Reflection Guide, read through your responses to identify themes that you can turn into projects or actions. If you didn’t reach your financial goals or weren’t sure how to set a goal, I highly recommend following my Income Planning Worksheet as a next step. This tool will help you identify different income streams and allow you to project how many clients you need to book to reach your financial goals and show you what’s possible without guessing. Most importantly, it will also automatically calculate your hourly rate in a way that enables you to achieve your financial goals!
Following this guide has helped me gain clarity into what I want for my business and I hope it helps you too! It’s by no means exhaustive so feel free to add your own metrics and prompts.
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