I’m excited to share this blog post with you because I’m just a nerd for goal planning! And in 2022, I have some pretty huge goals for both Blush, my wedding planning company, and this coaching business. My goal is to hopefully inspire you to either create bigger goals for yourself and your business or encourage you along the way as you start implementing your goals.

Ever since my team and I went through a rebranding process with Blush and Brandee Gaar, we’ve developed this new mindset. Although we were always very confident in our skills, the way we build our business, our services, and how to set goals — going in-depth into our values and exploring our vision for these brands have opened our eyes to new possibilities.

So, I’m thrilled for what’s to come for both of these businesses in 2022, and I hope you feel the same about your businesses! Here are my 3 goals for 2022 (and the most common problems wedding and event planners have with goal planning.)

Our income goal is set to exceed 2019 sales

Nope, that wasn’t a typo — we have plans to exceed our sales from three years ago. Now, it might seem counterintuitive to set this goal a few years later, but the last two years have been affected by COVID-19. That means sales from 2020 and 2021 weren’t the most accurate due to unforeseen circumstances, AKA it was totally out of our control. Since 2019 was our last normal year, it’s a more reliable benchmark for the sales we should be hitting in 2022.

As I’ve coached creative entrepreneurs, I’ve noticed a huge problem a lot of them face with beating last year’s numbers is not knowing where to begin because they don’t know their business’s precise cost vs profit. I know budgeting can feel like an overwhelming task because we have to work with huge numbers, but with the right process in place, budgeting can actually turn into something you look forward to doing! If this is you, you’ll want to check out this blog post for 3 tips to help take the overwhelm out of budgeting.

If you want to learn specifics about how to set income goals and package pricing to hit a 6-figure year, you should check out my 6-Figure Plan Workshop! This is a three-hour workshop that will teach you how to review your packages and services, readjust them as needed so they’re profitable for your business, and set actionable goals to achieve (maybe exceed!) your proposed financial goals. By the time you’re finished with this self-paced course, you’ll leave feeling confident and empowered to make your first or next six figures! (Plus, you’ll receive a special bonus: my profitable services template to help you maximize your profits and minimize your expenses.) Click here to snag this course!

We’re implementing a training database

100% of our processes, procedures, and systems will be captured in a training database that has been 16 months in the making! This was a giant goal for us, and we knew it would take a lot of time to complete the project, but we knew it was time! In this training database, we’ll have all our necessary SOPs compiled into one place so it’s easier to onboard new team members. Systems like these, despite how much of a drag they are to set up (at least, for me!), are so important to implement so that expectations on both sides — employer and employee — are clear right from the beginning.

I see too many entrepreneurs understand the importance of having a training system in place, but overlook it because it takes a lot of time, energy, and effort to set up. (We all know how there are seemingly much more urgent tasks on our to-do lists!)

However, without the right training in place, you’ll run into a lot more hiccups in the future that can delay projects which could have been prevented with the right training. So I encourage you to take some time to create one. And the extra benefit? Your team is much more likely to feel satisfied because expectations are clear!

It’ll be mandatory to attend an educational conference or course

In 2022, I’m making it mandatory that each of our staff members will take part in at least one educational course or conference to further their knowledge about growing our business and how to best serve our clients.

Continuing education in our industry is super important because many of us didn’t go to school to get a degree specifically in event planning, wedding planning, or creative business overall. There’s just no such offering at universities and colleges. The great thing is, though, there are thousands of amazing educators out there who are incredibly knowledgeable in the space and teach others the tips and tricks to succeed. Check out this blog post for just a few of my favorite educators in the wedding and events industry.

We’re ready to claim 2022!

I hope this blog inspired you to also set some bigger goals for yourself, your team, and your business next year! If it did, screenshot this blog post and share it on Instagram stories (and tag me @brandeegaar!) with your goals. I love seeing you all making moves in your business, and I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way.