Rebecca: Hey, guys, welcome back for another episode of the Business Journey podcast. Today's episode is going to be super fun, especially for my goal oriented people like myself. We are talking all about quarterly goal setting or quarterly planning. I'm super excited because we have my integrator Kay Schmoyer on with us. Kat is just an amazing person and we have been, you know, connected for at least a year now through creative at heart her conference and creative 24/7 her monthly membership. And then I joined her mastermind and we ended up hiring her. So it's awesome. I love our journey together. It's been crazy and wild and unexpected and awesome in all the ways. So you guys are in for a treat because Kat is so incredible when it comes to planning ahead and she's very business minded. And if you struggle with planning ahead and goal setting and things like that, you're going to want to take notes, because I know that you're going to take some gold from this so; Hi Kat, I am so glad to have you here today.
Kat: I'm so excited to be here, Rebecca. And no pressure. I feel like I was like such an intense entry. I'm like, oh, my gosh, I have, like, a lot to live up to right now in terms of the goal setting world.
Rebecca: Oh, my gosh. No, you do live up to it. You do. Well, Kat would you tell everybody a little bit about you if people are not familiar with who you are, what you do, who are you ?
Kat: Yes. Well, y'all it's really nice to be able to connect a little bit more with Rebecca's audience. I love that we're getting to do this. Like she said, we've been working together for a while now, so it's fun to be able to chat in this podcast episode. So my name is Kat and I host Creative at Heart Conference. So we have an annual conference. We also have a membership community and we love just serving and equipping creative entrepreneurs. And so really, I like to call myself the Lego Connector, peace between educators and attendees. Like that's ultimately what I want to do under the umbrella of Creative at Heart, and then on the other side of things, I have my own business where I host coaching and a mastermind and I have an online shop.
And I love helping visionaries, helping visionaries say like, OK, here's the long term goal. But like, how can we get there ? How can we put, like, arms and feet on this big goal that we have ? And that comes down to quarterly planning. So I'm really excited that we're going to talk about that today.
Rebecca: Yes. And that's one thing that bringing Kat on my team and we'll have an entire episode later, I'm sure, about what an integrator is and what Kat does on our team. But as the visionary, that's something I get very excited about things. And I just want to go and go fast. And Kat is really is great at, like, breaking down the pieces. OK, I see where you're wanting to go. These are the things that have to be done to get there and, you know, just creating that tangible plan so that you don't just have these crazy, lofty goals and no way to get there. And so that's why I love quarterly planning. And I never did quarterly planning until I came across your stuff however many years ago where I would do my year goals and then like chug at it, you know, great system in place. And so I'm telling you, quarterly planning has revolutionized the way that I think and the way that I operate. And it makes me feel a lot more productive and just better in general about my goals and where we're going. So I know that. Yeah, I know it'll help somebody here, not just myself. Awesome. Well, let's dive right into the you know, all the things caught early planning. I know that. Maybe let's break it down first. Can you tell us a little bit about, you know, maybe why quarterly planning is important or for somebody that is not good at goals ? Like what is the difference between yearly goals, like, you know, New Year's resolutions, whatever, and quarterly international quarterly goals ?
Kat: Yeah, no, I love this question. And for like a back story, y'all, in case you can't tell, just from my own businesses and like what I do with Rebecca, like I am type A, I am an enneagram three, like I'm all about the power sheets and the goal setting. And like all the things like ever since I was a child, like I've loved where's the to do list ? What am I like working towards, like what do I need to do to get to where I want to be, like all of those things. But I also understand that not everybody is like that, like Rebecca has clearly said in here, like she's all about goals, too. So we're like on the same page with that. But my business bestie is not about goal setting. And so that's been really insightful for me as a coach who teaches people quarterly planning to have a really close friend in the industry
That's your typical, like type B anti goals never sets a goal that she can meet just because she doesn't know how to set goals or doesn't feel as inspired and like fired up about goals, so would like whichever camp you fall in, I want to tell you that quarterly goals can work for you, whether you like goals or you don't like goals. And so be open minded throughout this conversation with Rebecca and I and definitely like, reach out to me in D.M. and stuff and we can chat about it more. But to then go back to Rebecca's question with quarterly goals, the difference between quarterly goals and yearly resolutions or just like a vision for the year, is that quarterly goals really give you an action plan for a 90 day period of time. So quarterly goals are one quarter of the year. So if you break the year out, it's four quarters. Simple math, four quarters equal the year. So you've got 90 days in that quarter to say, OK, this is my vision for the next 90 days and for a lot of us as entrepreneurs, again, going back to like that visionary, you're likely all a visionary because you started a company. And so you can probably sit here and say, OK, I know what I want to happen throughout the rest of 2021 Like, you know how you want to step in to 2022. Maybe that's a particular service. You want to launch our new offer or team or whatever. But sometimes that vision is so big and so then we need to say, OK, let's put it into a 90 day plan; like what are you doing April, May and June Q2, what are you doing in Q2; So that when you end the year you have seen traction on that vision or those goals ?
Rebecca: I love that. And that's why I wanted to bring you on this time, too, because we're just ending Q1, we're starting Q2, and it's the perfect time to sit down and of course, you can quarterly plan at any time, but right now to be on the perfect time to sit down and look at the next 90 days and say, and just like you said, what do I need to do today or in the next foreseeable future, in the next 90 days to be able to get me to where I want to be in the end of the year. So, yeah, that's perfect. So I know that some people may have and this was something that I really struggled with for a long time was I would create all these goals and then I would have problems following through with them. You know, we have big dreams and we have big visions. And then actually sticking to them is a whole other ball game. So do you have any maybe advice or like tips or tricks, maybe a system of like how to create a quarterly plan that you can actually stick to?
Kat: Yeah, this is such a good question. Some of it does boil down to like your personality and what you like and don't think about goal setting. So I'll start off by saying, like, think about right now, like how what helps you get things done ? Are you the type of person that needs, like the physical pen and paper and like the to do list on your desk ? Are you the type of person that's like, man, that's too stressful ? I'd love like Trello, like I'd love a template in Trello or something like that. I don't want you to do the whole like fit a round peg in a square hole situation when it comes to goal setting because then your goals won't happen. Like bottom line, you will try really, really hard and you'll probably put in like a valiant effort. And then at the end of the quarter, it likely won't have done what you wanted it to do. And so I would love for you to just immediately think through, like what works for you already when it comes to just getting things done in your business. And then aside from that, in terms of like specific action steps, I always start my quarterly goals with looking at revenue first and foremost, because you are a business owner and if you're not a profitable business, then the goal will be to start to become a profitable business. So revenue is first and foremost and then we can build the goals off of that.
So, for example, if you know, like, OK, this quarter I really need to bring in ten thousand dollars in the next three months just for my family, for my business, et cetera. OK, how are we going to do that ? Now let's look at the offers that you have in place, whether that's weddings or coaching or, of course, any of those things, like just lay out, like, what am I doing ? How can people pay me that ten thousand dollars ? And what's the plan for them the next 90 days to launch or promo or sale or whatever it is that you would be doing to hit that revenue goal ? So I always, always, always start revenue first and foremost, because again, going back to I want you to be profitable and you want to be profitable. So let's start with revenue.
Rebecca: Yeah. And I think revenue is an easy like no to to use because it's so tangible. Like numbers don't lie right here. Your revenue is what it is. And, you know, you can't just like, you know, you can't reshape it to, like, make it look like you hit your goals. Like, that's not how it works. You either made it or you don't. And I was going to ask, were you done ? Did you were you going to say something else ?
Kat: I feel like I have so many things I could say. I do so. And I have a master class. It's called the Quarterly Cure. And in that case. I walk through like the full framework and like I mentioned before, I like the base is revenue, but then I know for some of you guys out there, you might be thinking, well, OK, I feel good with revenue, but how can I tackle, like, another big project or like is now the right time? And so there are some things to think through so that, you know, like, OK, is this realistic ? Because, again, the the purpose of quarterly planning is not to just set a lofty goal and not hit it. The purpose of quarterly planning is to be realistic with everything going on in your business and in your life over a 90 day period. And there are some parameters and some things you can use to judge. OK, is this going to be realistic so that I end the 90 days and I was able to achieve what I wanted to achieve ?
Rebecca: That's perfect. That leads right into. The next thing I was going to ask was, you know, you and I have talked about those realistic goals and I think it's visionaries. We can get stuck in this habit of, you know, having big dreams and big dreams are great and they're necessary. But like, there has to be a balance of realistic expectations and, you know, thinking what season of life are you in ? Like, are you a stay at home mom with three littles under four? Like, is it realistic for you to be running a million dollar business ? Like, probably not. And so, you know, that's a great goal. But, you know, we have to be realistic with like where are we where are where is our business and where are we with our audience, with our clients, you know, things like that. So can we talk a little bit about that balance ? I know we joked last week about you being a dream crusher because all these visionaries have big dreams and it comes in in like reins everybody in. She doesn't really crush their dreams. But there is a sense of like reining in of like, OK, that's a great idea. But like, let's look realistically, can this happen in the next 90 days or in the next, you know, year ? What what steps can you actually take to make this happen ? So can we talk about that balance a little bit ?
Kay: Yeah, absolutely. So in when I teach the quarterly care training, I walk through like four pillars time, money, dreams and dailies.
And those are really like you want to consider that when it comes to what that quarterly goal is going to be and that helps you have that reality check. So, again, not to be the dream crusher, not to be the Debbie Downer. Right. But to really assess, like, OK, how is my time, what is happening physically and our family and our business over the next 90 days. OK, what is money look like ? Have we already hit revenue goals ? Do we still have revenue goals to hit for the year ? Like what is that looking like ? And then let's assess dailies and dream. So kind of going through that process with those four pillars can really allow you to again, be really realistic with what it is that you're setting. I also love and on my quarterly calendars that look, I know you and I both have; I have a section on there that talks about monthly focus so that when you are visually like vision casting for the quarter and like putting your washi tape and your sticky notes are like making it look all fun and awesome. You can also go right down into the be like, What's my focus to again, rein it in and say, I know that there are a lot of really, really great ideas in the industry and we can feel like it's disco ball syndrome where like bouncing around from like, oh, what about this ? So what about this ? So what about this ? And those are all probably great things. It's not necessarily that one is better than the other, but I do think that one is better than the other for you in this quarter and so on that calendar, being able to actually write in black and white, like here's my focus. Like, this is what it's going to be right now. It's list growth, because I know later in the year I'm going to launch course. So list growth, list growth, list growth or maybe it's launching your new website because you know, that's going to set you up for more inquiries in the fall when it's booking season. So launch the new website and every focus is for the new website, whatever it is, having that focus to put on those blinders and really just rein it in.
Rebecca: Yeah, that's so good. And, you know, Kat mentioned her, her quarterly calendars. She has like calendar print offs. Is that the right word ?
Kat: Like a like a downloadable, I guess. Yeah. We don't have poster size printable that you just like download it and then take it to Staples or FedEx or wherever and get it printed in a poster size for your office.
Rebecca: Oh it's amazing. And I put mine we both pictures and frames so that we can just reuse the same printable like throughout the year and just, you know, right over the frame. And it's amazing. But being able to visually see and I'm a more visual person, so being able to visually see the quarter and what my goals are each month, like being able to break it down like that really, really helps. I also want to talk a little bit about what happens if, you know, as we're entering Q2, if Q1 didn't go as planned or like, you know, because I think one thing that's great with quarterly planning is it gives us the opportunity to pivot as needed. Like we have four chances throughout the year, the beginning of each quarter to. OK, what do I need to do to hit those revenue goals if I didn't hit it in Q1 ? Like what do we need to change and switch around? Because I know, like for us, last ask you to was like right after covid here in March. And so for photographers in Texas, at least, they were deemed non-essential businesses and we weren't allowed to shoot at all, like not socially distance. It didn't matter like we were not allowed to shoot photography. And that was the peak of our spring season. And I lost a ton of revenue because I wasn't able to shoot. And that was super frustrating. And so heading into Q2 of last year, I remember thinking, OK, something has to change. I have to do something just to bring in revenue. Like this is where we're getting down to. Not we're not trying to get, you know, how can I dream of new business ? It's like, how can you bring money in ? I need to pay the bills. Can I do ? Exactly. Business doesn't die. And I know that you experience some of that two years is, I guess, a little bit later and then a little bit later again. And so tell us about like maybe a little bit about your journey of having to pivot and like what to do in that situation when you hit a new quarter and you've got to change something.
Kat: Absolutely. So with a conference last year, I mean, we had to cancel because of covid. So at first we postponed and then we ultimately canceled. I also I don't even think I said this in the beginning, but I have a wedding planning company. So I had I had, you know, brides and couples that were going through like postponements and cancellations and all of that. So I was right there in the thick of man, I just need to bring in revenue and like, what is this going to look like ? And so for now, we have to potentially put dreams on the side and just focus on how can we make ends meet ? Like, what is this going to look like to continue to pay our team, pay our bills, et cetera ? So absolutely have been right there. So when I say this, like, I hope everybody can understand, like Rebecca and I have both been there and 2020 was just a really, really difficult but it also that trendy word of pivot like it taught us how to do that even more. It taught us how to bootstrap and be perseverant and really like just be able to make things happen when our backs were against a wall; and as entrepreneurs like that's a really awesome trait to have and to be able to refine. And only hard seasons will allow us to refine that. So just a little pep talk there for that. So now when it comes to quarterly goal setting, especially right now, so 2021, you're wrapping up Q1 literally because it's April and stepping into Q2. If you're looking back at Q1 and you're disappointed, maybe you had a digital product launch that didn't go well or your bookings are low. The great thing about quarterly goals, and I love how you said that, Rebecca, is that you get four tries throughout the year. You can rinse and repeat. So the very first step of quarterly goals is actually taking a three hundred and sixty five day view of the year. So even though now it's April or if you're listening to this and it's July, it doesn't matter when you first start doing your quarterly goals, you're going to stop and you're going to take that one thousand foot view of the rest of the year. OK, what's already happened, what's supposed to happen and now where am I ? And that will really help you be able to either realize, like, man, wow, it went a little bit better than I thought. Like, I'm a little bit closer to the year revenue goal or the year vision. Then I thought based on the last quarter or maybe you're like, man, OK, it really didn't go well at all. Like, I've got some work to do. Either way, though, it gives you that reality check. It helps you see, like, OK, I do need to fix some things. And is was there something that happened in the last quarter that maybe that's a goal that's now continuing into Q2 because of how the last quarter went ? Maybe that's something that you're deciding to scrap it and pivot again and change direction, and that's OK, too. But either way, I think first and foremost, it's taking that view of the whole year, what's happened already and then what's to come so that you can best make pivots that are going to be successful for your business. Something else that I teach in the quarterly care and also just in having like one on one conversations with my coaching clients on quarterly planning is having a success standard. I mentioned I think I mentioned before that I'm a three Enneagram three. So are all about all about the like. I need to like, keep achieving and keep doing and like, what else can I do, which can be really awesome and helpful for an entrepreneur. But it can also be our downfall. So the success standard allows you to have data like you mentioned before, we're back to like when we're setting goals, revenue is a great place to start because it literally cannot lie. You can look in your bank account. You can look in quick books and see like, did I hit what I needed to hit a success standard can act as the same way. So for example, say for Q2, you are in booking season, so make a success standard for good, better, best for your bookings. Do you want to book three weddings, five weddings or eight weddings ? That could be your success standard. And then at the end of Q2, when you're evaluating the quarter, use that as your measuring stick. How many did I book ? Oh, I booked four great, I felt like right in the middle. I wonder why I didn't book more. Did I not get enough inquiries ? Did people inquire and say no ? Like, it just allows you to really evaluate what's working and what's not because you've given yourself a measuring stick. So to like back it up, then start with the whole year. Look at what's happened, what's going to happen, and then also make sure that you have a measuring stick for each quarter so that when you are assessing, you're doing it from a more logical strategic business place, not an emotional space, which we've all been there. And we all can do that in our business. So really trying to have that measuring stick is helpful.
Rebecca: That's so good. And what's so cool is that that measuring stick can change by the quarter as needed. So it'll be like last you know, last year, Q1, my measuring stick for Q2 was, you know, originally I was like, OK, as we get into spring bookings, I want to book fifty spring mini sessions. Awesome. That was like right on track with what I'd done before. Super achievable; then covid in March.
And that was not going to happen like period. I wasn't going to happen. And so for Q2 I can't be like OK, my measuring is still can I book fifty minutes. No. Like I would have failed just before I even started because it is impossible. And so I changed that measuring stick to OK, what is like the bare minimum revenue I have to bring in to keep these doors open like we have monthly expenses and stuff and at the time, I had a full time job so it wasn't necessarily relying on like the salary as I am now. But even then we had expenses and my website and shootproof and whatever all the things. And so that that measuring stick change to what is the bare minimum that I have to bring in to like make this thing go. And that required getting creative where, you know, as we headed into Easter, there was this trend of doing Easter composites. So it was a picture that was already like a template, an Etsy template of an Easter bunny holding a picture frame. And we could, like you, Photoshop a picture into the picture frame. And so because kids couldn't do like Easter Bunny pictures, so we had these composites. So like I think it was on Easter Sunday, I'm like, you know, this would be a good idea or maybe like a couple of days before because I just needed money. And so I started selling those for like fifteen bucks a pop and said, OK, if you pay me fifteen dollars, send me your kid's picture, I'll Photoshop it in and it's super easy, but I'll put it in. And you have this picture of the Easter Bunny holding your kid's picture and we brought in like five hundred bucks in that weekend and that was a game changer. Yeah. And it was like even that five hundred dollars. That seems like, of course, I wasn't making fifteen thousand dollars from many sessions, but when we went down to the bare minimum, five hundred was what we needed and it was like, OK, how do we make this happen if you have to go way out of the box to do that, like that's what we had to do. And so that was like a big pivot moment for us of changing the measuring stick so that we could see success. And, you know, because we want our goals to be achievable,
Kat: Oh, I know, absolutely. Well, and I think that's so telling of that. Like, good, better, best like that measuring stick system of good being, like, what do I need ? Like, literally let's like, yes. Six figure launches sound really awesome. Yes. We'll be great to make twenty thousand dollars in one weekend of many sessions or whatever it might be. But is this realistic for this quarter and like this season and being OK with the fact that it's not not letting pride stop you from like keep going with a goal or a measuring stick that's like legitimately not not going to work. So just let pride go and really think about like, you know what ? I can be really proud of five hundred dollars and yeah, it's five hundred dollars and not fifty thousand like you just said, but like in full transparency. That's still amazing in light of covid, in light of everything going on. And so I hope that that gives encouragement for everybody out there to know, like just make that measuring stick based on your needs, your business quarter and not again. No, do not get disco ball syndrome and be looking around at what everybody else is doing.And it seems so cool and fancy on Instagram, but like, what's the back end? We have no idea, you know, really focus on, like your business quarter and your measuring stick, right ?
Rebecca: Oh, that's so good. So let's switch gears a little bit. If I were to ask, what is the number one thing to think about when setting quarterly goals, like if you had to narrow all the things down to one thing that people could take away from this episode, what is that one thing that they should think about as they go into Q2 ?
Kat: Definitely revenue like and I'm not going to be the dream crusher. I'm like, do you have other dreams ? Like, don't worry about it. But I just see so many business owners make the mistake of potentially trying out new products or services that they really want to do. Right. They vision past. They really want to do this, but they don't have the revenue foundation to allow them to spend, and their time and money into something new. And so when you're looking at quarterly goals, look at revenue first and foremost. And again, to take that view of the whole year, are you where you want to be or if you're not ? Do you feel like you're going to get there in the quarter so that you can work towards a new course launch or a new coaching offering or whatever it might be ? And if so, great, do both. Like, it's not to say you can't do something new and sustain revenue, but you have to make sure revenue is sustainable. So absolutely. Look at your revenue when you're looking at your goals. First and foremost.
Rebecca: Perfect. And that makes total sense. We'll keep going back to it. We're going to hammer on the point because revenue doesn't lie by the number one metric that you can track super easily. And if you're not tracking your revenue; photographers, you need to be tracking your revenue. Anything that comes into your business and anything that goes out of your business, you need to be tracking. I do have a revenue tracker spreadsheet template available in my shop. If you don't have one, go by that because it's like 25 bucks. So worth it to at least start with something. Eventually you can go into using a robust system like quickbooks or whatever. But if you're not tracking it, like I had a mentor that used to tell me what we keep track of is what matters to us. And so if your revenue matters, you need to be tracking it especially I mean, let alone tax season and all the other things, like if it's important to you and if you know you're in this to make a profit, which hopefully you are, because that's why we do this. This isn't just a hobby, although it is fun. We're here to make a real profit from photography. And so that's just a you need to be tracking your revenue if you are not. Yes. So let's say we get a month into Q2. We have our goal setting. How do we go in and check on our goals ? Like what's a good way to maintain and just like check in, make sure everything's going well, pivot mid-quarter if we need to, like, what is that process look like?
Kat: Yeah, I love this question. So the short answer is I try to have one day a week, that's my quote unquote project today. And so that's a day that I don't have appointments. I do not have like face to face business conversations. And I also even try to stay out of my inbox as much like it's not so much working like in the business as it is just working on the business and thinking about, OK, what is the quarterly goal like, what am I working to make happen ? So having that day where literally I have a Trello template, a quarterly planning like Trello template, I am Trello templates available in my shop. If you guys love Trello, I do.
Rebecca: Kat is like the Queen of Trello. She has transformed our team and gotten all of us on to Trello and we love it.
Kat: It's literally the best free, free, free, free system for your business. So I've created some templates and one of those is a quarterly planning tracker. And so I plug in my quarterly goals into the Trello template. And that way, again, for me, it's Thursdays. I go back in and I'm just checking like, how are things going ? And that's helpful to again, put those blinders on and know, look, now what did I say I was doing this quarter ? Like what is actually supposed to be happening and am I making moves ? And just like you said, Rebecca then being able to say like, OK, do I need to pivot ? Am I starting to do something ? And it's not really working or my audience is saying something different or I'm having a change of heart like what's going on here ? So it just allows me to have that, like physical time on my calendar to assess what am I doing and is it working. The long answer besides that, like weekly check in is when I walk through the quarterly training program, I talk about benchmark goals and steps. And so those are ways to make sure, like, OK, you have the big quarterly goal. What are the benchmarks to make sure that that big goal is happening ? And then what are the steps to make sure that the benchmarks are happening ? So there's like a three part system that you walk through, which I know my type of people are probably cringing. I promise it's not overly complicated, but in order to make things happen, you do need to have a system to make it happen. And so in that program, I talk a little bit more fully about what that means. And so on the template in Trello, I have that broken down. So I know, like, OK, if the big goal is launching a course, what are the benchmarks like ? How am I making sure I'm moving in that direction ? And then what are the steps to get those benchmarks happening so that the ultimate goal becomes a reality?
Rebecca: I love that you first of all, break it down. So like micro, because when you can, like, take little bites and say, what do I need to do this week to achieve what I want to do this month so that we can get our quarterly goal done like that, I think is the biggest key, because people can get so overwhelmed with seeing the big quarterly goal and then not know the smaller steps to get there. So the smaller that you break it down, the easier it is to consume. You know, how you eat an elephant one bite at a time, right?
Kat: Yes. Well, and then and this is not a. Say, I don't have seasons of overwhelm, but the goal, one of the goals of the quarter legal process is to make sure you're not like, oh, wait, I'm supposed to launch a course next week and then you're in, like, crazy, crazy, crazy season for eight days, you know, not sleeping, working non-stop, like trying to check off the steps to the benchmark to the goal, like getting it all done. When in reality you can go slowly, like slow growth can actually be the best growth. And if you're doing it over a 90 day chunk of time, that allows you to have the time to put into it.
Rebecca: Right. That's that's really great. And I think that's key. And the other part that I really like about breaking it down and seeing, you know, doing that weekly check in is the fact that, like, I know I can get super excited about things and get very distracted. And so, like you say that, you know, I get very disappointed. And so that's the one that I'll just be like, oh, my gosh, I had this great idea, blah, blah. She's like a reining in me and. It's like that's a great idea, but let's stop it. So if everybody needs a Kat in their life, let me just say that everybody needs somebody to, like, help them tap the brakes and stay focused. And that's just the three. And we the visionary, all the things. But breaking it down and checking in weekly, I think, especially as photographers who we dream and we have big ideas. And, you know, there's this one idea that I've been sitting on that I could get so excited about it and just think on it. I did a call in my student group with Reid Gallagher, who's like the king of styled shoots. So we have this idea to do a styled mini sessions like we, you know, partner with all the vendors, get this beautiful setup because I don't usually do super elaborate setups. But having this super elaborate setup and it just being a crazy experience and like part of me wants to, like, jump into it and just dream about that and just do that. But then I remember I'm like, OK, let's be realistic. Here we are in April, we're headed into Q2. We're in the peak of spring season. Is now really the best time to, like, be focusing my energy and like my brain energy ? Just thinking about that ? Probably not. And I have all these other projects that I need to get done to achieve my quarterly goals first. Like let's focus on what I need to to do to book out May, like that. That needs to be our focus. And so by checking in weekly, we can, like, put eyes on our quarterly goal and be like, OK, my this goal, my quarter this quarter, my goal was to book out the spring. Is this dream going to push me towards that goal at this point ? No, because I can't do this style mini for the spring period. It's like a fall project if we do it. But that helps me like stay on track of like, OK, this is not going to be pushing me towards my goal. So it's OK to put it to the side. And I have this like running list of ideas just on my Trello board that's like things that projects I would love to pursue one day. And some of them is courses, some of them is experiences. Some have to do with photography. But I keep this list so that they live somewhere and they don't have to take up space in my brain because if I just keep them in my brain, then I'll keep thinking about them and using up my energy. So I take them out of my brain and put them on the board so that I feel like they have a place and I won't forget about them. And then I can focus in on what is going to help me achieve my goal for this quarter. And by seeing it, I'm able and checking in and that that just helps me. OK, do I need to put this to the side ? Do we need to just wait on it ? It's a great idea. We're not discounting the fact that it is a great idea, but is it, you know, helping me take tangible steps towards this quarter's goal ? So maybe maybe there's photographers out there that you're listening and that's you. You, like have all these big ideas for many sessions or big ideas for such and such. But it's if you look at the quarter, like this quarter, this 90 days, it's not going to move the ball forward. Maybe it's a great thing for Q3 or a great thing for Q4. And if that's the case, like that's the great part about quarterly planning is we have ninety days. Ninety days is a long time. And you can set that as, you know, a Q3 project and give yourself the full 90 days to, you know, put the energy to making that thing amazing. But if it's not directly impacting this quarter, that's where we and I'm speaking to myself. I need to just focus in and do the things that need to be done. Now, that way, we're set up to succeed later when it's time to implement those things.
Kat; No, I love it. I call that list a parking lot lists. So you should you should have that. You should have a parking lot, like take those ideas, put them in the parking lot and then when you're cordially planning. So I know I talked before you said like. What's the number one thing, and I was like revenue because, you know, Dream Crusher over here and focus on your revenue, but after you look at revenue, then look at the parking lot less like then say like, OK, what from this parking lot list is going to be realistic for this quarter and for you know, it's a great example that you can Reid were like, man, we really want to do this, but now is not the time. So it's on the parking lot. We're going to circle back to it next time. We're quarterly planning for Q3 or Q4 project and being realistic within the other parking lot ideas you can pop in.
Rebeca: Right. And as you said, parking lot. I love that you call it that. And I thought of an airport where, you know, you have that waiting lot or whatever, that that's kind of where we house our ideas. And then when it's time, like you're able to go on into the airplane, get on the runway, and that runway is your 90 days to take off. Right. And so that we're going to use that you can steal that you're quarterly training. But I mean, it makes so much sense that sometimes ideas just need to sit for a little bit. And that's OK, because then you give yourself appropriate amount of time to be able to make the thing happen and not sacrifice other priorities that just need to happen first.
Kat: Right. You can also be more strategic, like I feel like in our industry it's so we're so quick to say, like I needed to do this yesterday and are there some things that can make us feel that way ? Yes. Like our industry is constantly changing, especially in regards to the wonderful world of social media. And just like Natasha and Stephanie on here to talk about all of that with reels. So, yes, there are some changes that just as entrepreneurs, we have to be able to see what's happening and do market research and pivot as quickly as we need to. But but I also, again, like to be that, like, pump the brakes girl. That's like however, what's the strategy behind us ? And are you wanting to do this because it just sounds really fun and awesome. Are you wanting to do it because so-and-so is doing it now ? You want to do it ? Are you wanting to do it because you actually want to do it and your client is raising their hand and saying, Rebecca, I want this from you ? Like, there's not necessarily a good or bad in, you know, in all of those, but really having that parking lot less will allow you to assess even more fully, like, is this a good idea ? Is this not ? And then when is it the best idea ?
Rebecca: Right. And that's exactly how it was when I had the idea for Behind the Lens, which if you guys haven't heard, it's the brand new membership. And at the time, whenever this recording is published, it will be live. So I know we've been working so hard on it and I both. And so this monthly membership is basically a behind the scenes. Every single month I'm taking you with me to real family sessions. You get to be my virtual shadow and just watch me shoot. And this idea was something that my you know, you guys my audience has been begging me for for at least a year. And it was one of those things that had to sit in the parking lot for a little bit because is it a great idea ? Yes. Is it necessary in our industry right now ? Absolutely. You guys have made that abundantly clear, like, yes, you want to. It's necessary. But I knew that with my time constraints and my personal I mean, my family had a crazy transition last year and we ended up, you know, in July, I guess in May, knew that we were going to move to Nashville and then had this crazy long nine month transition period of selling our house and moving into temporary housing twice and then finally moving to Nashville and then finally moving into our house. And like I, I didn't have the capacity to launch that, even though it was a great idea. And I wanted to give it like the energy that it deserved. And so it sat in the parking lot until I knew that I could do it justice. And so now we are able to take it out of the parking lot after a whole year of it sitting there and, you know, let it run its runway and then finally fly. And so I think that's just a really good example of it's OK for great ideas to sit for a little bit like people can still be begging you for it.
You know, as a photographer, maybe there's a set of minis that you are, like, dying to do. And I know for me one of those is like a unicorn. Mini sessions, I think, are so stinking cute, but logistically, it's just a lot to figure out. And I haven't had the energy that's one of those in my parking lot that it's sitting there. I know I'll do it one day, but I just today's not that day. Maybe it's next spring. I don't know. But it's OK for a good idea to sit there until you're able to give it the energy that it deserves and you want to do something.
Well, that's something that like our personal family value, one of them is excellence. And like our family, we just want to do things with excellence whenever we can. And so if you're going to do something, do it well, like give yourself the time to do it well. Are there times that you have to just get it done and done is better than perfect ? Yes, like I'm not saying that that doesn't happen, but for a lot of things, if you really think about it, you have more time than you think. And it's OK to. Go slowly and to give yourself that time, like you don't have to feel like there's this big rush to just get all the things done because it's not like nobody's creating those those time constraints except for you, like, both time. And so, like, give yourself some grace and it's OK to move a little bit slower. Like we're not running a race. We're not competing with anybody. We're on a journey. And that's one reason it's called the Business Journey podcast, is because we're on a journey and we want to take that journey with you. And so it's OK if your journey looks different than somebody else's. And I know that doesn't sound like it connects to quarterly planning, but it does. I
Kak: It does. It really does. Because, again, I go back to like disco ball syndrome, but I just I see that so much in like the one on one conversations I have with entrepreneurs and then the mastermind and all of that of seeing creatives that have a really, really great ideas. But they are just like with flashing back and forth, back and forth, like getting all of these like stars in their eyes. Right. Like a little animated like cartoon. And I just really want people to feel confident in the decisions that you're making for your journey. So I love that you say like it really is a journey. And sometimes having that on the parking lot with behind lends such a good example is I personally feel like I mean, we're going to see very soon. Well, when this goes live, it will have lunch, but we'll see very soon.
Rebecca: For All of us. It's launching tomorrow. So we're recording and it's launching tomorrow. So we're like waiting. Waiting. Oh, my gosh.
Kat: But with that, I feel like because you waited, it went from a good idea to a better idea, like you were able to say, like, OK, this is good. But what you said, like, can I do this with excellence ? Not right now. So if I wait nine months to a year, I can and it can be even better and even more powerful. So there is a lot to learn in that waiting game.
Rebecca: Absolutely. This is just so good. It just everything just gets it gets me so fired up. I'm like ready to go. I haven't done my cue to planning yet, so it makes me like, so ready to go get your calendar down to my office. Right on my calendar. Yeah. Yeah. Well, everybody that's listening. If you first first hour you need to go check out Kat's Quarterly, not just Q2, it's all the quarters quarterly calendar. She has a yearly calendar too. I have both. And you're able to go print it at Staples. You can print it sometimes for like seven bucks if they let you. My people didn't let me in there. I know here's like a cheat in the system and they wouldn't let me do it. But either way, like, it's super easy to print it out that way. You can write on it if you're a digital person. She has Trello templates that you can go look at and Trello is free. So get the template, get you started on the right place. Kat, can you tell everybody where they can find you, where they can find all these templates and just all the things ?
Kat: Yes, absolutely. So Katschmoyer.com is my website and shop and blog and all the things. If you do grab one of the printable calendars, I walk you through how to print it, where to print it. I try to give you that little cheat sheet to. But again, Rebecca's it didn't work for her, but I tried to tell you, like, how to do it so that it can be even more cost effective to print it and even walk you through some great supplies to get like if you get this frame, grab these markers, sticky notes, all the things that my type A planner lovers want to know about. Right. Like we get excited to walk through the like Home Office section of Target or of Staples. So I talk about all of that too. And I mentioned before about Please DM and @katschmoyer on Instagram. I love Voice Jam. I love chatting on D.M. So would love to get to know you guys if you have questions about quarterly planning. I feel like over the last three years in particular, I've really pivoted and a lot of my clients are in the photography industry, which is really cool. I lovingly say that photographers have adopted me. I don't own a camera. I don't know anything about like the technical side of shooting, but I know how to help you run a business. So I would absolutely love to chat with you all one on one if you have questions about anything.
Rebecca: Yes, you guys is amazing. And like I said, she's on my team and so she works very closely with all the things happening in Rebecca Rice photography. So like she's in on the know of what you guys are, you know, what you guys are walking through and everything like that. Definitely go check her out. And if you're interested in coming to creative at heart. So it's a conference that she's hosting. I'm actually keynoting at it this year. So I'm super, super excited. If you want to come say hi to both of us, there is a an in-person option and a virtual ticket option. So if you're not as comfortable with in-person events right now, totally fine. There is a virtual ticket option and both of those are available. I know EarlyBird pricing is ending as of today, the day of the recording. So you won't be able to get EarlyBird pricing, but tickets are still available. So can you tell them where to find her stuff ?
Kat: Yeah. So again, you can DM me like one on one, at the Kat Schmoyer account. We also have the Instagram account for creative at heart, at Creative at Heart, and then all of the details specific to round ten. Ah, it's kind of a long URL apologize. It's 10 like the number 10, round 10.creative@Hartconference.com also very open to DMing with you guys. I know whenever you're investing in education at that level, you really want to make sure, like, is this going to be a good fit ? So we'd love to talk with you about some of the specific sessions Rebecca mentioned she's keynoting so excited. Caitlin James will be there. Amy and Jordan will be there, really excited to have friends back and see some new people, too. So would love to chat with you guys about that.
Rebecca: Yes. And you guys, it's the lineup is just incredible. And she mentioned Caitlin and Amy and Jordan. They all have made such an impact in my own business. Like I wouldn't be the photographer and business owner I am today without them. And so if you're like I don't even know who they are, first of all, go look them up. You need to know who they are. And then secondly, like, you get to meet them at creative at heart, you know, whether you're in person or online, like it being poured into by educators at that level is invaluable. And so I'm telling you, I would not talk about it if I didn't believe so heavily in it. And so if you're going to invest in any sort of education this year, this is a conference to invest in because you're going to hear from some top notch educators. I'm telling you, it's just an amazing, amazing lineup.
Kat: So, so excited Well, and since this is so soon after EarlyBird just, you know, send me a DM, we can work something out. But I really I would really love to be able to open the doors, whether it's in person or virtually. So just let me know.
Rebecca: That is very kind. See Kat is just doing work for the Rebecca Rice photography community. You guys are so lucky. Well, awesome. We're going to go ahead and close out for today, you guys. Don't forget if you're not in behind the lens. Yeah, go jump in.
Like now you can actually jump in the Rebeccaricephotography.com/membership and you'll be able to jump in to behind the lens. It's only fourteen dollars a month, which is a total steal. It is the least expensive option like thing in my shop. It's the cheapest membership of its kind. Like you're not going to find anything like that. That's our founding member. And so go hop into that if you have questions about it. DM me at Rebecca Rice photography and I will help walk you through, you know, whether it's a good fit or not. But you're not going to find something at that price with that value anywhere else, like period here. Just not so go check it out behind the lens. We've been working so hard on it and I really think that it's a resource that you're going to find super valuable and you're just going to love. So anyways, thanks for tuning in, you guys. I hope that you got something from this. I hope it has your wheels turning and just, you know, excited to go into Q2, you know, plan and ready for it. Definitely go give Kat a follow. She's just an awesome person in general. And so you'll love, you know, hearing about her business and her kids and all the things. She's just so sweet. So we'll go ahead and sign off. Thanks so much for listening and we'll see you back next week. Bye, guys
Episode Transcript
