Taking the time to make a plan for your business each quarter should not be something that you dread. Instead, see it as a creative process that gives you time back for the things you love doing. Kristen Westcott is the Lead Strategist at I Heart My Life and she is taking over the podcast to share how you can create a focused and profitable plan for your next quarter. The first step to creating a plan for your business is to understand what is working (or not working) right now. You can’t move forward in a focused way until you understand how things are running right now. You want to do more of what is working and stop doing the things that aren’t, so make sure to track your metrics! Once you’re sure you know what is working, it’s time to set your three overarching goals for the quarter. You should have a goal you know you can hit, a goal that may be a little more difficult but is still achievable, and then you should have a stretch goal. You always want to make sure you’re pushing yourself toward growth but you also want to set goals that you can achieve during this one quarter.  Now it’s time to break your big goals down into milestones and projects. What will it take for you to reach the goals that you’ve set? What projects do you need to start or finish to be sure that you’re going to reach your goals? Once you know which projects and milestones you want to hit, it’s time to create your 90-day plan.  Don’t forget to consider what support you’ll need to achieve your goals. Do you need to hire contractors or have someone come in to help you with cleaning or childcare. What will it take for you to reach your goals and what support do you need.  If planning is “not your thing,” then you need to listen to this episode. Kristen’s action steps and advice are invaluable to giving you back the time and space needed to keep your business moving forward. Listen in and if you run into any road blocks, reach out to her on Instagram!   In this Episode:  [02:12] Welcome Kristen to the show to share how you can plan out your next quarter.  [02:59] Why people resist planning. [05:25] What is the first step to creating a proper plan?  [06:41] Where are your leads coming from?  [09:01] The next step is to start setting proper goals. [13:24] Next you need to set milestones and projects for the next quarter. [15:24] Don’t set too many goals or milestones for your quarter. [17:36] Now you need to break down your projects and milestones into a 90-day plan. [21:30] What kind of support will you need to hit your goals?  [23:10] You need to set your metrics so you can track your progress.  [25:37] The final step is to get all your dates scheduled on your calendar or project management system.  [27:28] Hear a quick recap of the 7-steps you need to take to plan out your next quarter.  [28:45] Now, when this week can you sit down and block out time to make your plan?    Links & Resources:  Subscribe to the Podcast:  I Heart My Life Show on Apple PodcastsI Heart My Life Show on Spotify  Connect with Kristen:  Kristen’s WebsiteKristen on InstagramKristen on Facebook Your Roadmap to Business Growth Connect with Emily:  I Heart My Life WebsiteI Heart My Life on InstagramI Heart My Life on FacebookI Heart My Life on LinkedInI Heart My Lifers Community Email: info@iheartmylife.com Book a Call Episode Sponsor: I Heart My Life Mastermind   Quotes:  “Planning really shouldn’t be this chore that you have to do. It should be something that you look at from a perspective of creativity.” - Kristen Westcott “You need to know what’s working in your business… so that you can build on that and create a plan and a strategy going forward based on those things that are working.” - Kristen Westcott