Your Solo Business Quarterly Check-In
Tips for reviewing your business health.
Think of all the maintenance-type items on your to-do list. Haircuts. Going to the dentist. Spring cleaning. Tasks designed to keep things in order or keep your life running smoothly.
Your one-person business also needs regular maintenance, which includes a quarterly check-in. You need to spend some time evaluating what's working and what isn't. The way to do that is to look at actual data — something many solopreneurs put on the back burner.
Your quarterly check-in doesn't need to be complicated. You can create a checklist of things to review and spend a few hours gathering information and reflecting. But the check-in is a way to make sure you're moving toward your business goalson (instead of just staying busy).
How to prepare for your quarterly check-in
I have my quarterly check-in blocked off on my calendar, so that I don't skip it or schedule something else during that time. It's planned for a few days after the end of a quarter. I spend about half a day on my check-in, but you could spend more or less, depending on the complexity of your business.
I'm a big fan of 90-day goals. Ninety days gives me enough time to try something new or experiment, while still seeing progress. With some metrics, I'm tracking information along the way (like how much I earn from digital products), but I review results at the 90-day mark.
A quarterly check-in also helps you catch small issues before they turn into bigger problems. For example, let's say your client pipleline isn't as healthy as it used to be. During a quarterly check-in, you can try to assess what's happening. Is it external factors, like the economy? Has the market shifted? Did you change the way you market yourself?
By asking yourself questions about your business during your quarterly check-in, you can strategize for the next quarter.
The 3 key areas to review each quarter
Not sure where to start with your quarterly review? All businesses have a few things in common: financial performance, growth, and goals. While the exact data you review within these categories might vary, they're a good foundation for your review.
Financial performance
Your business revenue is one of the top indicators of financial health. During your quarterly review, look at the following:
- How much you earned and how much you spent
- How much you're paying for tools and if they're all still necessary
- The customers you gained and lost in the quarter and the impact on your income
With customers gained, I also look at the source (such as an inbound inquiry through my website or a referral). That data informs my business strategy, because I can spend more time on the tactics that drive new business. (I keep track of my pipeline in Airtable [affiliate link].)
I also keep track of how much clients are paying me and review that data. Over time, I've raised my rates so I can compare my earnings in one quarter to the same quarter in the prior year.
Anna Burgess Yang
Growth
In the "growth" category, I focus on my online presence. However, if your business model is different, you might also look at customers gained/lost as a metric of growth.
I look at:
- Website traffic
- Followers and engagement across my social profiles
- Downloads of free resources
- Newsletter growth
If you're trying to grow a social presence, it's really easy to beat yourself up in this category. You can't control the algorithms, and they can change on a dime.
What you should try to figure out is what's working and what isn't. For example, video content is on the rise pretty much everywhere. If you've seen a dip in your reach, do you want to try video content? Or do you want to try something else?
During your quarterly check-in, decide if you want to experiment during the following quarter. If you stick to it, 90 days is a really good indicator of whether something is working or not.
Goals
Every quarter, I set some 90-day goals. Usually, this includes something new I want to launch (like a free resource), and an investment I want to make in my business (such as spending money on equipment or a course).
During my review, I look at my list of goals and ask myself: Did I meet them? If not, why?
Sometimes, my priorities simply shift, and the goal I'd set no longer makes sense. In those cases, I have to decide if I want to add the goal to my plans in a future quarter or remove it from my list entirely.
Bonus: How are YOU doing?
Don't forget to consider how YOU feel during your 90-day check-in.
How are you doing? Do you feel overwhelmed? Do you feel good about your business? Or do you feel stuck?
How you feel should influence your next quarter's goals, a lot. If you're overwhelmed, you might need to pull back on certain things. You could also hire a virtual assistant or learn how to use automation.
If you're feelings are more existential (such as "Am I happy doing this work?"), you should take time to reflect. Ask yourself what your ideal business looks like. And what steps you need to take to move in that direction.
Tips to stay on track between check-ins
There are a few things you can do in between my quarterly check-ins, mostly to make the check-in day easier.
- Setting aside one day per month for bigger projects
- A Notion dashboard [affiliate link] or something similar to track my growth metrics and goals
- An accountability partner who can cheer you on
You don't want to obsess over metrics in between your check-ins. Think of this more like "information gathering." If you collect your numbers throughout the quarter, you can spend more time reflecting during your check-in instead of doing admin-type work.
Create a quarterly check-in template
To make the most of your quarterly check-in, create a checklist for yourself. On this checklist, add the data you want to review and the quarterly check-in questions you want to ask yourself. That way, you can follow the same process every time.
Don't over-stuff your checklist (unless you want to spend an entire day reviewing your business). Instead, focus on the things that actually matter and impact your business outcomes.
Need some quarterly checklist inspiration? You can download my quarterly planning checklist template.
