The Power of Reflection: How Reviewing Your Year Can Transform Your Business

Another year is almost over. That went fast. Have you started planning for next year?

Some of your eyes just lit up because you’ve been running your five year plan for the last three years and you’re ready to go.

Some of your eyes just went wide as you realized how much more you have to do in the never-ending cycle of keeping your business going…

Whichever camp you fall in, there’s one more crucial question: Have you taken a moment to reflect on everything 2024 brought your way? What wins that made you proud? What challenges pushed you? What lessons shaped your business?

Reflection isn’t just a nice idea—it’s a strategic tool. It helps you get from where you are to where you want to go with clarity and purpose. By looking back intentionally, you’ll uncover insights to help you build a clear path forward.

Let’s explore why reflection matters, how to do it effectively, and how it can set the stage for a transformative year ahead.

Why Reflection Matters for Your Growth

The Past Holds the Clues to Future Success

In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.” 

Anyone running a business knows how true this is. Running a business is a constant balancing act of decisions and deadlines. Without looking around to evaluate it, you might miss the patterns that are quietly shaping your success—or holding you back. Reflection allows you to:

• Replicate Success: Understand what strategies brought in leads or generated client satisfaction and do more of that

• Refine Strategies: Pinpoint areas where you’re investing time and energy without seeing returns and do less of that

• Strengthen Client Relationships: Assess how your services are perceived and identify areas for improvement

For example:

• A contractor might discover that a weekly one-hour AMA leads to more inquires and conversions than cold calls, emails, and responding to Facebook posts.

• An interior designer might find that social media posts featuring raw before and after videos perform better and lead to more inquires than highly-produced photos of the same space.

Reflection gives you the clarity to focus on what works and the confidence to adjust what doesn’t.

Reflect with Purpose: The LENS Framework

You need a clear structure to make reflection meaningful and actionable,. The LENS Framework helps you focus your view from the past year to identifying successes, lessons, and opportunities for growth.

LENS stands for:

1. Look Back: Analyze key data and experiences

2. Evaluate: Identify patterns and themes

3. Navigate: Choose what to carry forward and what to leave behind

4. Strategize: Turn insights into actionable steps for the future

Step 1: Look Back

Gather your raw materials. Collect any quantitative data (revenue, leads, social media performance) and qualitative insights (client feedback, personal experiences) that can give you insights.

Examples:

• Revenue by month, categorized by project type.

• Social media analytics highlighting which posts drove inquiries.

• Client feedback forms showing satisfaction levels and suggestions.

Ask yourself:

• What worked well?

• Where did I struggle?

• Which efforts drove measurable results?

Step 2: Evaluate

Once you have the data, look for patterns and themes. What’s the story behind the numbers? Identify areas of success and bottlenecks.

Example:
An interior designer who focuses on staging model homes might notice:

• Vacant home stagings generated 70% of revenue but required more time and resources than expected.

• Instagram posts featuring before-and-after photos consistently brought in inquiries, but general content (like tips) performed poorly.

• Clients frequently mentioned appreciating the detailed reports included in proposals.

Ask yourself:

• What patterns are emerging?

• What results surprised me, either positively or negatively?

• What do I wish I had done differently?

Step 3: Navigate

Decide what to prioritize moving forward. This step is about separating what aligns with your business goals from distractions or inefficiencies.

Example:
Based on their evaluation, our interior designer decides to:

• Focus marketing efforts on vacant home stagings while outsourcing setup tasks to free up time.

• Shift Instagram strategy to prioritize before-and-after photos and experiment with short-form video.

• Standardize detailed proposal reports to highlight their value.

Ask yourself:

• What should I keep doing?

• What should I stop or delegate?

• What new opportunities are worth exploring?

Step 4: Strategize

Turn your insights into a plan. Set priorities for the coming year, create a timeline, and assign next steps.

Example:
For the interior designer, the strategy might include:

• Refining service offerings to focus on high-value staging projects.

• Developing a content calendar featuring transformation stories for Instagram.

• Partnering with local furniture rental companies to streamline staging setups.

Ask yourself:

• What are my top three priorities for the year ahead?

• What resources or support do I need to succeed?

• How will I measure progress?

The LENS Framework ensures that your reflection is more than just a glance in the rearview mirror. It helps you gain clarity, navigate challenges, and build a purposeful strategy for the future.

Reflection in Action: How It Fuels 2025 Success

Reflection isn’t just about looking back—it’s about moving forward with intention. Use what you’ve learned to:

1. Refine Your Marketing Strategy
   For instance, if you notice Instagram reels showcasing projects outperform other posts, consider increasing video content in 2025.

2. Strengthen Client Engagement
   If client feedback highlights confusion around pricing, refine your proposals to include clearer breakdowns.

3. Streamline Operations
   If delays are stemming from disorganized processes, invest in tools like ChatGPT or Trello to improve team collaboration and project management.

For example, a remodeling company might realize they consistently overspend on materials. By implementing better inventory tracking, they could reduce waste and improve profit margins.

Reflect, Refocus, and Thrive

Whether you’re looking at the coming year with excitement or with trepidation, reflection is your opportunity to pause, celebrate, and plan. Use this opportunity to  honor how far you’ve come and lay the foundation for even greater success in the coming years.

Want to learn more about the LENS framework?!?

Download our FREE LENS Reflection Worksheet + 37 Questions for Deep Reflection to guide your process, and share your biggest takeaway on social media. Your insights might just inspire someone else to do the same.

The best way to set yourself up for success in 2025 is by learning from 2024. What will your reflection reveal?