All About The Quarterly Review
What is a Quarterly Review?
First things first: What is a quarterly review? This is about having regularly scheduled review sessions with yourself. I personally recommend quarterly reviews, which is what I’m going to focus on today, but you can do these review sessions monthly, but at least annually, so that you’re on the right track for business growth.
So what are these quarterly review sessions you’ll have with yourself? This is essentially a one to two-hour session you reserve with yourself, on a regular, quarterly basis, and you answer the prompts I’ll provide for you today. You can also integrate other planning and review activities into this session, such as content planning, or a marketing strategy session, or an accounting review. Or perhaps you integrate a whole state of affairs review session. The bottom line is to get clear – that’s the key word here – on where you have been, where you are now, and where you want to go.
And what does this have to do with marketing? Well let me tell you, building a business is marketing. And if you’re clear on how you’re building your business, you’re also clear on how you’re marketing it. Need I say more?
Why do we need a Quarterly Review?
So, first things first, what happens during a quarterly review? There are a few purposes to these. First, it gives you an opportunity to look at and review the current state of your business. Second, it gives you the opportunity to plan and initiate future strategies.
Now, this does require some sort of business vision that you have in mind for yourself. For today’s purposes, I’m just going to recommend that you think about what you want and why you want it. Envision what you would like your business to look like in 3 years or 5 years down the line. Without this general vision in mind, you’re not actually going to be working towards anything. And the goal here is to work towards your ultimate dream life – living the way you want, where you want, on your terms, and fulfilling your highest potential. So, if you’re just getting started on this journey of wanting to be more intentional about your business, think about that vision first.
How to Do a Quarterly Review
Now that you know the purpose of a quarterly review, do you see how you might be able to integrate them into your business? Quarterly reviews aren’t just for CEOs and they aren’t just about Profit & Loss spreadsheets. They’re a great opportunity for you to be intentional and purposeful about your business so that you can keep it meaningful.
So what does a quarterly review session look like? Simply block off 1 to 2 hours during a day of the week when you can do this and actually commit to it, and then ensure that it is repeated prior to the following quarter every year. So, ideally this session would take place at the end of December in preparation for Quarter 1, at the end of March in preparation for Quarter 2, at the end of June in preparation for Quarter 3, and at the end of September in preparation for Quarter 4. Simply block off this time to work on your business. I prefer to write out my quarterly reviews on my computer so that I save everything. I simply open a fresh online document. Name the document Q4 Review & Goals. And then here are the questions to ask yourself. This is essentially a reflective and brainstorming session. There are no bad ideas or thoughts. Simply let yourself go and know that what you are writing is your truth.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Past:
- What are you most proud of accomplishing this quarter?
- What have you truly enjoyed about this quarter? How did this make you feel?
- What have you not enjoyed about this quarter? How did this make you feel?
- What vulnerability or fear has emerged this quarter? How did this make you feel?
Present:
- How do you feel about the direction of your life?
- How do you feel about the direction of your business?
- What are you grateful for?
Future:
- What would you be so proud to accomplish this upcoming quarter?
- From the list of things you enjoyed this quarter, how can you continue and/or integrate more of it? How would that make you feel?
- From the list of things you did not enjoy about this quarter, how can you diminish or decrease it? How would that make you feel?
- Based on the vulnerability or fear that has emerged this past quarter, what would it take to look it directly in the face and become more brave this upcoming quarter?
These questions are so important to your growth, not only professionally but also personally. This is your moment to truly grow. Once you get clear on how you want to proceed with your business, the planning becomes much easier. You’ll repeat these actions every quarter to incorporate both growth and consistency into your life and business.
Need more help? Check out my 1:1, group and self-study offerings: https://christinagiordano.com/offerings/