We love a planning or review session. Would you expect anything less from a hybrid business membership with a marketing strategist as a founder? We run sessions for our members every quarter to help evaluate their last quarter and plan for the next three months.

Sometimes, you need a little extra accountability and since we’re halfway through May, we’re here with a gentle mid-quarter check-in for your business.

Maybe you started Q2 with grand plans that have quietly slipped away, or maybe you're feeling like you're treading water rather than making progress with your to-do list. Don’t worry, you're not alone. It’s so easy to end up spending most of your time working in your business but not quite getting to work on it.

Important reminder: This isn't about adding more things to do, or extra things to keep on top of. It's just about taking an hour topause and reflect on the things you already are doing, to see if you’re on track with where you want to be. Often, that hour is all it takes to feel a bit better about everything.

Why bother with quarterly reviews?

When you're self-employed, it's easy to become the boss you escaped. The one who never gives you a break, who piles on unrealistic expectations, who’s just a bit unkind. We didn't leave traditional employment to recreate that stress. That’s not who we want to be. We want to take control of our own destiny, our plans, the direction of our business AND our life.

These two things are linked. We became self-employed because that was how we could ensure work fit around our lives. So, if you're going to spend all this energy (and anxiety), it may as well go into something that works for you.

What happened in Q1?

Before you can plan where you're going, you need to acknowledge where you've been. In our last quarterly planning session, we started by asking the group to reflect what happened January-March with three simple questions:

1. What went well?

Sometimes when you're feeling overwhelmed, it feels like nothing. But there's always something! Maybe you kept a good boundary with a client, maybe you managed your inbox well, maybe you simply survived winter, or launched something new. Big or small, write it all down because they all matter.

2. What did you learn?

Did you put too much on your plate? Did you discover you need to ask for help? And realise that people are reeeally up for helping you out when you do get round to asking. Did you realise you're more resilient than you think? If you found it difficult earlier and could think of more fails than wins, reframe them here as lessons.

3. What's staying and what's going?

Did you put too much on your plate? Did you discover you need to ask for help? And realise that people are reeeally up for helping you out when you do get round to asking. Did you realise you're more resilient than you think? If you found it difficult earlier and could think of more fails than wins, reframe them here as lessons.

Work backwards from June

One of Jess’ top tips for planning (and achieving) is to work backwards from the goal. Let’s start with how you want to feel by the end of June, not with what you think you should do.

What do you want to have achieved? How do you want to feel? This isn't pressure. These questions are for you to think about what YOU actually want for the rest of this quarter. Maybe you want to feel less reactive. Maybe you have hit a financial milestone. Maybe you’ve put money into your pension (boring, but it'll feel great).

Once you know that, work backwards:

June: What one action needs to happen this month to get you to your quarterly goal?
May: What one thing can you do in the remaining days to set yourself up for that action?

We’re keeping it simple here, just focusing on one action per month. That’s two things total since we’re mid month right now. This isn’t a strategy overhaul, it’s a gentle check-in and realignment.

For example: If you want to be working with a new client by June, your May action might be "get in touch with three potential clients."

Identify the barriers (and the help)

Let’s be real here, things will get in your way. Weddings, life admin, this quarter has already seen 2 short business weeks and a school half term…and let’s not forget our own brains adding to the not-always-helpful mix. The point isn't to pretend these barriers don't exist. It's to name them so you can plan around them.

But here's the tricky part…who or what is going to help you?

This is where most of us get stuck. We're brilliant at helping others yet terrible at asking for it ourselves. Remember, we can’t (and shouldn’t) do it all by ourselves. That’s literally why Wild exists. However, if asking for help is too hard right now, start smaller. Make a wish list of the help you need, then journal or think about about why it's difficult. You naming it, might just make you notice when someone/something shows up that could help you going forward.

Next steps

If you did a quarterly review back in April, well done. Now's a good time to revisit those notes. Are you on track? Do your goals still make sense? Have your barriers shifted? You don't need a whole new session, just a quick review of what you decided and whether it still fits.

If you haven't done a review yet, that's exactly what this post is for! Grab a pen and paper and follow along with the steps above, or even go for a walk and send yourself a voice note. We love any excuse to get out into nature more often! 🌿

Now, if you're looking a bit further ahead and thinking "Q3 is going to be chaos" (hello, summer holidays), we've got you covered. Each quarter we host an intimate day retreat in Bristol, specifically to help you with deep prep for the next quarter before it arrives. The next one is June 25th — more information and ticket-booking here.

Business planning can feel daunting, but you've got this. And if you feel like you haven't got this, you've got us.

A Gentle Mid-Quarter Check-in