45. 3 Simple Questions to Prepare Your Business for 2025
Reflection is one of our most powerful tools as business owners—it’s how we uncover what’s working, what isn’t, and where we want to go next. In this episode, I’m walking you through a simple but transformative exercise to close out the year with clarity and confidence. Whether riding high on this year’s wins or feeling like you’re barely holding it together, this practice will help you realign, recharge, and step into 2025 feeling like the visionary entrepreneur you are.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[00:00] The Power of Reflection: Why taking time to reflect is essential for your business growth.
[02:20] Three Questions for Clarity: What worked, what didn’t, and what you’re excited to build in 2025.
[03:41] Pareto Principle: How focusing on the 20% that drives 80% of results can supercharge your growth.
[08:19] Celebrate Your Wins: Why collecting evidence of your success rewires your brain for positivity.
[10:25] Letting Go of What Doesn’t Serve You: How shedding old habits and obligations creates space for success.
[14:23] Dream Big for 2025: Get clear on your bold vision without worrying about the “how.”
Key Takeaways:
Reflection is the key to recognizing what’s working, and what’s not, and aligning with your goals for the future.
The 80-20 rule reminds us to focus on what creates the most impact on our business.
Celebrating wins, no matter how small, is a practice that keeps you motivated and connected to your goals.
Letting go of obligations or habits that no longer serve you is an essential step to growth.
Visionary thinking without overcomplicating the “how” allows you to dream big and make meaningful strides.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Special shout-out to my podcast team:
My Executive Assistant, Krystan
My Podcast Manager, Linah
My Podcast Coach, Caroline
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Quote
"Rest is a requirement of your highest-level self. Give yourself the gift of space and watch your creativity and business flourish."
S3 Ep45 Transcript: 3 Simple Questions to Prepare Your Business for 2025
00:00
Reflection is one of the most powerful tools we have as business owners, because it helps us get clear on what's working, what isn't, and where we wanna go next. Today, I'm going to be guiding you through a simple reflection exercise to help you close out the year feeling grounded and confident. Are you ready? Let's go. Welcome back to the show. I'm Elizabeth Marberry, and every week we talk Instagram organic marketing strategies.
00:27
I'm so thrilled that you are here with me today because this is the last episode of 2024. Wow, what a year it has been. This year was the year that I launched season three of my podcast where I dialed in the focus even more. Last season, it was more of a broad focus on entrepreneurship and being a small business owner. This season, it has been all about Instagram marketing and social media marketing strategies.
00:55
I'm celebrating that this is episode 45. I have never podcasted so consistently ever. And the only reason I've been able to do it is because I have an incredible team helping me behind the scenes. Big shout out to my podcast manager, Linah, my podcast coach, Caroline. Shout out to Kristin, my executive assistant and also automation's wizard, and Canva expert. She's the queen of all things, admin.
01:24
It takes a village and I could not run this podcast or my business by myself. And this was a year that I really invested in support so that way I could create systems and set myself up for success and scaling my business. And it's totally paid off with this podcast. In season three, we've reached download numbers I've never seen before. And every week our podcast grows in listenership. So thank you so much.
01:53
for being here and thank you so much for sharing this podcast with other business owners that you know, other colleagues or entrepreneurs who are trying to understand how to use Instagram to grow their business. I really appreciate that and that keeps us going. So today I'm gonna walk you through a simple reflection exercise where I'm gonna have you ask yourself three simple questions to prepare your business for 2025.
02:20
Now you can do this at the end of 2024 if you're listening to this when it came out or if you're listening to this at the beginning of 2025. Perfect. These questions are gold and I like to ask myself these questions throughout the year. So whenever you're listening to this just trust it's the right time to be reflecting on these key points.
02:44
so that way you can move forward with more clarity and confidence. This exercise only takes a few minutes, but it can make a huge difference in how you approach the new year. While reflection is key to continuing to grow strategically as a business owner, I find that most of us kind of skip this step because we are so ready to move on to the next thing. And sometimes that can really be a mistake because
03:13
We are missing things that are working really well in our business, and if we just did more of that, we would achieve our goals faster. Or maybe we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again, but we're not even realizing that this effort we're putting into this one thing just isn't working out, and we need to put our efforts somewhere else. I'm sure you've heard of the 80-20 rule, but I wanna break that down. And it is also known as the Pareto Principle, and it states that roughly
03:41
80% of our outcomes or results come from only 20% of inputs or causes. And that's why it's really important to identify and prioritize the most impactful actions so you can really maximize growth for your business in 2025. Okay, so get out your notebook or take a mental note and then you can come back to this episode later when you're ready to really implement.
04:11
to open up your phone wherever you keep your calendar. So whether that's your calendar app and your phone, like Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or maybe you have a planner, like a paper planner, wherever you keep all of your meetings, I want you to look at the past 12 months. Now, give yourself like 20 minutes, 30 minutes to do this. And what I want you to do is I want you to make two lists. One is what worked.
04:40
and the other is what didn't work. So I want you to be looking at different things like how you spent your time, where did you invest your money, what were your habits, your daily habits, your weekly habits, and this could be for self care, this could be habits within your business, or maybe as you're looking through the year, you'll start to notice different patterns. You can also use your Photos app. Sometimes our Photos app can kind of jog
05:10
our memory of what we were feeling. So you can even write down like mindsets, mindset patterns that you notice if you're looking at your photos and you remember, gosh, during that time I remember, I remember just putting out a ton of fires in my business and I was feeling so stressed and writing down what wasn't working at that time in your business. But take some time to really jog your memory.
05:33
and take a general analysis of the last 12 months. And again, you're making those two lists and you're gonna write down what worked in one column and what didn't work.
05:51
And those are the two of the three simple questions that I do want you to ask yourself. And when you're asking yourself, what worked well this year, I want you to think about your wins, big and small. And I want you to really give yourself credit where it's due. So a lot of times we kind of downplay ourselves.
06:15
But I really, so for example, if we're using Instagram as an example, maybe your goal this past year was to grow your following. And maybe you started at 100 followers and now you're at 150 followers. You can easily say, oh gosh, Elizabeth, I still only have 150 followers. Or you could say, Elizabeth, I'm celebrating that I got 50 new followers. That's 50 new hot prospects in my audience this year.
06:45
That is no small amount. Can you imagine a room with 50 people sitting there? So I want you to really be generous with yourself of really noticing what needles were moved this past year in your business and.
07:01
you are a human. What is working well in your personal life too? Because as we know, there's not one without the other. So you get to, part of being a business owner and entrepreneur is you're designing a business that you love working in, right? You don't want to design a nightmare. And so my people, we want to...
07:24
work, yes, but we also want a lot of time freedom and money freedom and location freedom, right? So maybe you traveled a lot this year or maybe you did extra date nights with your partner more than you did the previous year. Whatever it is, when you're writing out your list of what worked well this year, I want you to really take time to celebrate your wins.
07:52
And here's a really cool thing about this practice of collecting evidence of what is actually working in your business and in your life, is that our brains have that negativity bias. So they're like Velcro. They are looking for like the negative thoughts, the negative things that happen in our lives, just attach onto that Velcro, right? I could give you.
08:19
eight compliments and one piece of constructive criticism, and you will focus on the piece of constructive criticism, right? That's just how our brains are wired. And this is why it is imperative that you always take time to celebrate your wins, no matter how big or small. And this is why I start all of my coaching calls with my clients sharing their wins of what's working well in their business.
08:42
because it can be so easy to always feel like you're never far enough, you're never moving the needle enough in your life, in your business. And I invite you to really shift that and what's really neat about this is the more you start to get in the habit of collecting evidence of what you actually want, of what you actually desire, and that you see that it is working, it is working for you,
09:09
things start to actually manifest so much quicker and
09:23
And the journey feels so much more pleasurable because it's kind of on the, you're on this scavenger hunt of what actually is working. And then the more, and then you'll start to do more of what is working.
09:39
The second question is, what do I want to let go of? So you're making two lists, what worked, what didn't. So I want you to look at that list of things that did not work. And I want you to reflect on what is no longer serving you and why you're ready to release it. This could be...
10:07
So a few examples might be you feel, you are a mom and an entrepreneur and you feel this pressure to be volunteering at your, okay, wait.
10:25
One of my girlfriends is wanting to focus more energy on her business and her child is in second grade and she has been really pulled into volunteering a ton at her kid's school. Now that is fantastic, right? Like they need volunteers, of course that is incredible to support your kid's school. But the problem was is that she was so busy volunteering that she didn't have a ton of time.
10:54
to pour into building her offerings and her business. And so I said to her, what if you just stopped volunteering for a little bit so you could focus on your business? And it doesn't mean she can't support the school in other ways. Maybe she makes a cash donation or maybe there's other things outside of work hours that she can do if she wants to give back to the school. But the point is, is that a lot of times,
11:25
We fill our schedules with things because we feel like we should be doing them. And I wonder if some of those things on the what's not working for me list are under that category for you, where you're kind of doing things out of obligation or habit or someone else's expectation or maybe an old version of yourself.
11:47
and that's not you, that's not your next level of where you're moving into. And so what do you want to shed? What do you want to release as you walk into 2025?
12:25
One thing that I'm wanting to let go of for myself personally is I tend to put these arbitrary timelines on myself because I'm such a high achiever, because I know I have a very high capacity and I have a lot I want to do. I have a lot I want to create and sometimes I have this storyline going of I should be further along by now or I'm this is taking too long.
12:55
And one of my coaches once said to me, Elizabeth, you're putting these arbitrary timelines on yourself. And it's really a sense of self-sabotage, because then you feel like you're in a rush. You're essentially overworking, pushing yourself to this point of fatigue. And you're kind of going nowhere fast. Why are you putting a three-month deadline on something that realistically will take you 12 months? And so that is one of the things that I am personally
13:24
really working on is how do I hold both these giant big visions and ambitions for myself.
13:31
and give myself realistic timelines so my nervous system doesn't feel like it's in fight or flight. So I can be in my most illuminated, creative, inspired, aligned self because that is the person I want to be. I don't want to be the burned out, exhausted, glued to her phone person. I want to feel that sense of spaciousness in my body, in my brain, in my bank account. And in order for me to be that person,
14:01
stop putting these stressful deadlines on myself that are so unrealistic. So that is an example of something that I am looking to shed and release as I move into the new year. So what are you ready to let go of?
14:23
The third and final question I want you to reflect on is, what am I excited to build in 2025? And I want you to put on your visionary hat and dream so big and really think about what lights you up. Let this experiment guide your vision for the year ahead. And I really want to invite you to not think of the how. So,
14:54
If you start to think about, oh my gosh, if my business was just limitless this year, what would I want to create? Would I want to speak on a big stage? Would I want to launch a podcast? Would I want to write a book? What do I want? What do I actually want for myself, for my business? Sometimes we stop ourselves in our tracks when we ask ourselves, well, but how? How would I do that? Well, that's not realistic.
15:19
Right? The problem with that is you are never... When the how part of your brain turns on, that logical side of your brain turns on, it really shuts down that visionary self. You'll get to the how eventually, but that's not what this exercise is about. So many of us, so many people I meet with, I talk to them about their business. I ask, what is your bold vision? What do you really want?
15:48
and a lot of people don't know or maybe they forgot. So this is your time to reflect and ask yourself, like, what do I actually want to create this year? What do I desire? And don't make your desire wrong. I believe that if you see it, if it's a reoccurring vision that you have for yourself and your life, it is for you.
16:17
It is for you. And the first step is stating that desire. The first step to any kind of transformation in your business or your life is you have to be willing to state what you want and what you desire. So take time to think about, what do I wanna build in 2025? What seeds do I want to plant for my future self this year?
16:47
When I do this exercise and ask myself these three questions, I'm always surprised by how much clarity it brings.
16:58
And I really hope that this exercise, I really hope that this exercise, I really hope that this exercise serves you as you move with clarity and confidence and connection to self as you move into 2025.
17:25
I want to thank you so much for being with me this year, for taking this ride on the podcast. I want to thank you so much for being a listener this year. I have so much in store for 2025. I have some really incredible heavy hitter, big guests coming on in 2025 you're going to love. And
17:50
I am committed to continually showing up for you every week. This podcast has become really a highlight of my week and I just can't thank you enough for your support. If you haven't already, please be sure that you have followed our show.
18:09
that you've rated and left a review. That really helps us with the podcast algorithm to reach more incredible entrepreneurs like yourself. And if we're not friends on Instagram, what are you waiting for? Make sure you follow me at Elizabeth Marberry. Hit me up in the DMs. Let me know what you thought of this exercise, if you had any aha moments. And I cannot wait to support you and your bold business vision as we walk into 2025 and our next level expansion of who we are. Thank you for being you, and I cannot wait to strut it with you next week.