Once Upon a Time, it Was the Mondayest Monday Ever…
Is there a Monday more Monday-ish than the one after a long, full weekend? A weekend full of fun, food, family, friends, the collision of two major holidays, more food, and more family. My bets go to today getting the crown for the Mondayest Monday of the calendar year. I don’t know…maybe it’s tied with the Monday after the Fourth of July, but it is absolutely neck and neck.
I hope your re-entry into the real world (one without a bounty of turkey, sweets, and boozy cocktails) was smooth enough. I hope you were gentle with yourself, like I tried to be. I hope that your to do list hasn’t eaten you alive.
Here we are, in the midst of the busiest time of year with our personal lives…throw running a business on top of that, and it is incredibly easy to reach level red on the overwhelm scale. I find myself writing more lists than ever to keep track of everything that is running around in my brain. Now, I just need to keep track of all my lists.
Here’s the thing…
Yes, there is so much JOY in this season, but it is also true that there can be so much STRESS during this season.
It is easy (and highly likely) that you can get swept up during this time…it holds a lot, in both our personal and professional lives. I am here on the Mondayest Monday ever to try to remind you (and myself!) that although this is the busiest time of year, it is also the most important time of year to carve out some time for yourself, first as a human being who needs a calmer nervous system and secondly as a business owner.
Before long…
We are going to be inundated with messaging about the New Year. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a New Year…it’s basically like getting a brand new, never-been-opened-before notebook with the world’s best coordinating pen. I love it. A fresh start. But before we dive into that new notebook, we have to have some idea of what we’re writing. We have to have some sense of what we want to unfold for ourselves and our businesses before we get there. If you can afford it, I urge you to take some time to evaluate how your brand served you in 2024 and how it can help improve your business in the coming year. So that when you get there, you already have such a great sense of what you are bringing with you and what you are kindly packing into a life sized suitcase and sending out to sea.
Here are some things you can ask yourself before the year ends…
-What was the best thing that happened to your business in 2024?
-Who was your best, most awesome customer in 2024 who represents your ideal audience? What are their qualities? Why did you love working with them? And are those awesome customers plentiful or are they are a rare occasion?
-*If you were not able to experience the exchange with your most awesome customer yet, here are some great questions to figure out who they actually are:
*what are your shared values and how can you connect over them?
*what is the problem or need they need to have resolved (that you so conveniently offer, by the way)?
*what other brands are they loyal to?
*go all out and create a person who signifies your ideal client-what they do for work, how they spend their spare time, what are their hobbies, interests, favorite food…go crazy with details. Get so clear on who they are that you can spot them from a mile away AND also so that you know what you can do to help draw them towards you.
and a few more…
-what do you love about your brand? Do you (still) love your brand identity (the logo system, its colors and fonts)? Do you (still) feel like it suits your business or do you feel that perhaps your business could have outgrown its aesthetic?
-are your marketing efforts streamlined and easy (enough) to accomplish through your gallery of images and on-hand brand messaging OR does it feel like you are on the struggle bus every time you want to promote an offering or product?
and perhaps most importantly…
-are you happy with the work you are doing? Do you feel fulfilled?
-are you serving your clients with the work you are doing? Are they being taken care of?
OK, I am stopping here, because in the season of overwhelm, I don’t want to go overboard. Maybe tackle one a day or a couple a week. Grab your journal and do some reflecting. Or go for a quiet walk (no phone, no music, nothing! Trust me, it’s the best) and let your mind think about the brand you have built…how far you have come (pat yourself on the back), and dream so big about the coming year that you can’t wait until you can get your hands on that next clean notebook.
Guys, I get it. I am getting swept up too, but I want to go into 2025 feeling strong, empowered, and intentional with my business. And I bet you do too. As always, I am here for you and your brand. If something is feeling “off” about your business OR if 2025 is the YEAR YOU ARE GOING TO GO FOR IT let’s talk.
I bet my bottom dollar that we can elevate your brand in ways that will get your business booming and your Mondays a little less Mondayish (not all of them though….some are just impossible).