Okay this one is for the entrepreneurs out there. It’s for the self-employed, over-caffeinated, sleep-deprived go-getters. This is not a post for the weak at heart. So put on your self-critical helmet and let's do this. 

When this time of year rolls around a lot of workers start worrying about the EOY review (end-of-year). I remember when I was working for companies, almost the entire month of December is lost to all this anxiety—Will you get a promotion? Will there be a raise? How have you performed? Where have you failed? On and on. The questions are worded a million ways but it really comes down to—“are you doing what you are supposed to be doing?”

Well as all of the corporately-employed work through all of that, what are you entrepreneurs doing? Kicking back? Sipping some eggnog and thinking to themselves, “wow it’s been a cool year” {come on people}.

Have you ever fired yourself? Probably not. But you have hired yourself. It’s true. Think back to when your company’s idea first popped into your head. I bet one the first questions you thought was will this work, but it was quickly followed by can I do this? You hired yourself. So it’s up to you to give yourself an EOY review. You are held to certain standards, whether they are written down in front of you in a pretty grid or not.

Here are some questions to start with:

• What goals did you have for your company this year?
• What goals did you have for yourself this year? (Sidenote if you don’t have those written down you should probably bitch slap yourself. #justsaying)
• What are some obstacles you met & how did you handle them? How can that be improved?
• How have I been perceived this year? Where has your brand & name been mentioned? Positive? Negative? How can I work on this?

Basically you really need to take a step back from just acting and see what you are really doing as the owner of this company. This can be hard on the ego folks, I’m not gonna lie.

Ohh fun it’s personal example time. Things I’ve realized about myself this year:

Positives: Networks well, works hard, dedicated, ambitious, still insanely passionate about the idea of our company (to get people jobs via social media).
Negatives: {deep breath} Micro-manages too often, annoys business partner at times with insane ideas on Saturday afternoons, needs to adapt to direction changes better, needs to find some balance so I don’t burnout as often.

See that wasn’t so hard was it? Okay maybe it was. Maybe you make yourself cry a little bit. It’s worth it folks. As us entrepreneurs throw ourselves into our companies it is so easy to get lost among the deadlines, the price points, and the anxiety.

It’s an insane rollercoaster of successes and failures—but under your brand’s name. Take some time at the end of Q4 to ask yourself out of those failures or shortcomings which are you really responsible for? How can you make sure that doesn’t happen again?

Then ask yourself which successes you are responsible for…give yourself a pat on the back. Uncork a bottle of wine and congratulate yourself for another year of survival. Something tells me next year is going to be a big one folks…who is excited? {Raises Hand}.