Let’s be frank: They say that 50% of the life we live in this world doesn’t fall on the positive side of the spectrum. That means for every fun evening at a restaurant with friends, there’s a TV dinner alone at home. For every three days vacation, there’s three spent with a cold or the flu. For every positive experience or action in our life, there is an equal and opposite negative one. Now, that can simply be an hour spent bored on your phone or a meal burned on the stove — it doesn’t have to be something terrible. But it isn’t something positive.

Whether it’s in a podcast interview, conversation with a colleague, or when meeting a new client, one of the top questions I get asked is “How did I get started coaching?” I’d like to share that story with you.

So. Let’s talk about traditional business planning. Whether it’s the beginning of the New Year, the start of your business, or simply a point where you need clarity on what’s coming up next, having a way to set goals and work “on” instead of “in” your business is imperative. In my experience, I’ve found that while we all want to take our dreams to the next level, we’re often stumped on how to do it. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how I do business planning and goal setting each year as an entrepreneur.