Fourth Quarter Focus: Get Serious to Stay Ahead of Your Competition

With a couple weeks of first grade and preschool under our belt and soccer underway, I’ve finally got my family’s new schedule down, things are running smoothly, and getting up early (school starts at 7:50!) is getting somewhat easier for the kids! (Check them out the first day of school!)

The start of the school year is always a reminder for me that the end of the year is quickly approaching. Right about now, if I blink too long it will be Christmas and we’ll all be in full-swing holiday mode.

These last few months are a popular time to really focus on achieving your goals and getting the things done that you wanted to accomplish in 2009. Did you want to get a new website launched? Did you want to start an ezine? Create a compelling speaker one sheet? Were you thinking about starting a blog or maybe sending out a postcard campaign?

With summer coming to an end and the prime vacation season over, there seems to be a renewed sense of motivation and power among business owners to set some personal deadlines to get your action items completed before the year comes to a close. In fact, I always see a huge surge in business in the month of September that continues through the end of the year. This is when business ramp up to have a positive and profitable final quarter of the year. The push that happens in the autumn to get things done and get new things started is always incredibly inspiring for me to be a part of.

This time of year is also the perfect time to start planning your marketing for 2010. Now is the time to make a list of what you want achieve personally and professionally next year and create a plan of action, outlining how you’re going to make it happen.

Are there things you can do now, or put in motion now that will help you start next year with a bang? Do you want to launch a new website or blog site in January? Are you focusing on getting more speaking gigs and want a new speaker sheet or speaker website developed? Do you want to finally get your ezine started and need a custom template created?

By looking at what you can put into motion now, you can often get a more financially-friendly option with payment plans. For example, for almost every service Bourn Creative offers, there is a multi-payment option spread out over multiple months to help you get professional, compelling marketing materials that pull your ideal clients right to you, WITHOUT breaking the bank!

What does this time of year signify for you?