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“You can't have a foot on 2 boats” Season’s musings

So December and January are looming.


For the first time in three years they promise to be fairly ‘normal’. By that I mean no Covid restrictions, lots of Christmas parties, festive family get-togethers and a seasonal hangover that lasts well into the new year and threatens all those new year resolutions that we were so determined to stick to.

That may all sound like fun, or it may be your idea of a nightmare…but one thing’s for sure, there is certainly a lot of expectation that goes hand-in-hand with December and January as you stand with one foot in the current year and one in the new. There is immense pressure to get things done before the party season commences and, of course, once January begins there’s even more pressure to hit the ground running with new ideas and renewed vigour.

My advice – and don’t worry I’m not going to be a total party pooper – is that the greatest gift you can give yourself over the next couple of months is time and the means to use it in a balanced way by seeing them as one. These two months seen together can be a powerful stepping stone to a brand new season for your company and can really help to ensure that 2023 goes well; use them wisely.  So I thought I would share how I bring these months together to perhaps inspire you in the next months.
Step 1 Smile and wave: review the past year.
Have you managed to ride 2022’s growth waves? Do you envisage choppy waters ahead? Review your business and your own performance, think about what you could do differently and how you can tackle the big rollers sure to come your way in 2023.

Download to review your business.


Step 2 G is for growth: what is your growth vision for the coming year?
Take a few minutes to think about what growth means to you and what and who you need to help you achieve that.

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Useful read: Thoughts on growth

Step 3 The future is bright: is it?
What do you and your stakeholders, all those that are involved in your 2023 success need for the season ahead? How can you align what you want alongside your purpose, and the needs of your customers and alliances? What does alignment look like?

> Useful read:
The twists and turns of growth
> See how aligned you currently are: Take the Growth Evaluation

Giving yourself time and space to consider three points can help you prepare for the coming year in a calm and balanced way, and with any luck, you’ll still have plenty of bandwidth to enjoy those all-important festive frolics. You see? I’m not a party pooper, after all.

Julie Perkins,
Founder of Wyseminds
A picture says a thousand words: The founder’s story
You are not as alone as you think.

There is a great deal of loneliness with being an entrepreneur, which is why we seek to join communities of people like us. This is one community that you are already a part of. Your business is unique but the way your business grows is not.

This month I created the founder’s story. It's the beginning of my drive to reassure entrepreneurs that their frustrations are shared with many but – more importantly – once you can understand the patterns you know what to do and that's the community you want to be a part of.

The founder's story, starring Sofia, is all of our journeys, mine as well, where we strive to get our idea out there with passion and good intentions. I mean, what could go wrong?! Thank you to the incredible Virpi Oinonen, business illustrator, who I have followed for many years knowing that one day she would be the person to draw the story.

Download the founder’s story here >

Merry Christmas… Level 1 of Your Journey to go completely online December 16th!
What fun we have had in November, filming for our online training programme Your Journey. You may remember that we have partnered up with the digital training agency, RMMBR, to bring our support programme online with workbooks and training videos that can guide our entrepreneurs to a greater growth of their business, independently of me – well, minus some virtual coffees and coaching sessions of course!
It’s been a year-long effort for the complete project to be finished, but the first level will be ready before Christmas – the perfect end to a very busy year. We've been recording the training videos this week alongside some of our Wyseminds alumni, including Loviisa from NAPP and Agnes from Mended. It’s been such a joy seeing it all come together like this and I can’t wait to share more with you.

My favourite blogs of 2022 (essential reading when thinking about 2023!)
When I write a blog I always ask myself: what will be the most useful information right now? Working with female entrepreneurs everyday I understand the challenges we face and I hope that  my thoughts will inspire curiosity or give a reason to think of situations or challenges in a different way. As the end of the year approaches and we all start to think about 2023, I have selected a few that may inspire you right now as well as give you the courage to see challenging economic situations as opportunities for your business.
  • Holding out for a hero
    At Wyseminds we believe that your founding ideas, the reason why your business exists, play a key part in your success and give added power to your organisational purpose and values. As the Harvard Business Review says in its Nov/Dec 2022 edition ‘to see the way forward, look back’ – this is a key message as we look into what we need from 2023 – are you giving your business the power it needs?

  • Reuse, recycle, repair – how decluttering your business can work wonders
    As we face challenging economic times ahead, I recommend our Marie Kondo blog, which will help you achieve the space your business really needs.

  • Finding Norm
    Growth is a series of waves... On-board and off- board, use December and January to review your business surfing techniques and refine them for the year ahead..

  • Founder’s story
    As I mentioned above, Sofia’s story – the founder’s story – is relevant to all of us. Sometimes we need to reevaluate how we ourselves are performing to improve the performance of our business – and there is no better time than now.

 
Trial Your Journey for free
Our online support programme is built for entrepreneurs to find a more seamless path to business growth. So if you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed or just missing having someone to spar your ideas with, trial Your Journey for free and see how ready you are to grow - and the right next step to do it.

Sign-up here >

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