Four simple steps to a smart year-end business review

Another year is about to end. Have you looked back at how your business did? Are you satisfied or do you think there is still room left to improve? If you want to start a brand-new year with the right business strategy, end this year with a detailed year-end business review. Not only will this help you keep track of how your business has been doing, it is also an effective means of identifying which areas need to be improved and which areas of your business are doing well. To create a thorough and in-depth end-of-year review, follow these four steps.

1. Set the agenda or format of the business review

For a structured discussion, list down everything that you plan to cover from the biggest down to the smallest details. This does not only allow you to have more time to discuss what is important, it also guarantees that you know exactly what you want to achieve in the business review without overlooking any important information.

2. Prepare information needed for the review

To ensure a more detailed discussion of the business' performance, prepare all the necessary reports that will support the information to be reviewed. Collect data from the beginning of the year and be ready with the key performance indicators to have a visual of your progress. Re-evaluate what your main goals are and what necessary steps are to be taken to achieve them by the end of the year. Keeping check of the business' expenses is also vital in this part of the process.

3. Schedule a time or allot time slots

In setting up the end-of-year review, allotting enough time and knowing who the key people are in the discussion is important. Be sure to identify who's attending and what their respective roles are in the meeting. Schedule the discussion with more than enough time to go through everything on the agenda with everyone concerned in the process present.

4. Follow up

After evaluating your performance for the past year and creating brand new goals for the coming year, do not forget to follow up on your progress. Set up a follow-up meeting to check if plans are being met and if there are strategies that should be changed. Recognise achievements and be ready to resolve any problems along the way.

Elevate your business by coming up with specific and attainable goals and monitoring previous ones of their relevance in helping your business grow. Look into every single aspect as well as its impact on the whole company. Do not forget to check up on your progress once in a while to ensure that you are still on the right track in achieving your goals. Be assertive from the beginning until the end of every year while recognising your growth in the process.