How to Prepare for 2024 | Virtual Assistant for Photographers

This year just absolutely flleeewww by. And I know we say that every single freakin’ year- but somehow this year was faster!?! Just me!? Regardless, December is the perfect time to start dreaming, manifesting and scheming up all the good things for next year. As a VA for photographers, I want to share some ideas on how to prepare for 2024.

Now, I am the first one to admit that things don’t always go as planned. I’m not a fan of hyper-planning every detail of your year because LiFe HaPpEns. But I have found for myself (and our clients) that falling headfirst into a new year with no structure or intentions can really cost.

If you’re anything like me, 2023 smacked a little bit too hard and you’re craving focus and clarity and intention going into a new year. Most of my clients have been expressing that vibe to me, and I’m seeing it all over TikTok too. I think it’s a natural progression after the global pandemic pressing into us for a couple years, and then the year or two it’s taken to re-calibrate our lives… 2024 is primed to be the IT GIRL year for business owners. I feel it in my bones.

So let’s take advantage of that, and set some intentions. I’ll share how!

Here are a few ways how you can prepare for 2024 while staying in your “zone of genius”:

Set The Tone ➡️ My favorite way to start planning for a new year is to zooooom out. Literally imagine yourself on a tall building looking down on your busy business below. Take some time evaluating what worked & want didn’t this year. (But don’t dwell on the perceived failures! They’re all valuable teachers). And think about the general tone or vibe you want to bring to this year.

Maybe you have a specific word you wanna claim for the year. Or a feeling you wanna prioritize. For example: rest
balance
growth
education
equilibrium
etc.

Or maybe you have a phrase or season that is standing out to you in bold letters. Either way, get clear on the tone you want to set for the year, so that will influence any specific decisions you make.

What Do You Gravitate Towards? ➡️ Spend some time thinking about your favorite parts of this year. What are the sessions, weddings, work, collaborations or pieces of your business that you gravitated towards? I’ve said it a million times, but as an artist - you have to build a business plan that allows for inspiration and creativity. You need to be super freakin’ clear on what feels SO GOOD… and then create space for that. Dream up what you want your business lifestyle to be. That will go a long way in how to prepare for 2024.

Define A Few Clear Goals ➡️ How in-depth you want to go here is up to you. Personally? I am not in crazy-specific-goals era. I need to leave space for life to happen around me. But what I will be doing is making clear intentions about where I am going to spend my energy this year. I will let my desires & tone of business guide me.

For example - I am in a growth season, so that will be the tone next year. And my desires center around creating more serving content on social media. So one of my clear goals will be to start posting regular TikTok’s and invest in my social media.

It can be that simple.

Maybe you just want more time back, so your goal is to take more days off every week.

Brainstorm How To Make It Happen ➡️ Now is the time to break out the practicability. You know I’m a practical girlie, so this is my “power alley”. Think through the next phase of business, your desires & goals… and then HONESTLY assess what is standing in your way.

It’s probably pretty immediately obvious to you what would alleviate the barriers to your desires, but maybe some fear has been holding you back. Now is the time to be really transparent with yourself, crunch numbers, dream big and invest in yourself.

No good thing is going to come without risk. This is the step where you calculate the risk.

And then take it! Outsource something off your plate. Raise your prices. Book your own photo shoot… whatever it is that will catapult you into next year positively, take that leap.

These are ways to prepare for 2024 that I have found helpful, but however you do it - I am proud of you for investing in next year. Saying YES to yourself. And taking action on your self-belief/self-trust. If I have learned anything as a small business owner, it’s that my own mindset can make the biggest freaking difference in how I feel about my work & the $$ I make.

If you are interested in having someone come alongside you, and help you level up in 2024, please reach out! This is our jam here at The Focus Co, and we’d be honored to help you step into the New Year with a strong stride.

-Jessie