Wow, how did it get to be December, already?! As we head into the last month of 2010, make sure you make time to reflect on your year. Whether you laid out specific business goals or flew by the seat of your pants, magic happens when you sit down and take stock of all that you’ve accomplished in a mere twelve months. I bet that you’ll be surprised by what you’ve manifested!

So grab a hot cup of cocoa and settle in for a cozy recap of your year.

Here are a few overarching questions to spark your reflection:

• What was the most exciting, heart-stirring thing that happened in your business this year?
• What was your biggest learning?
• How did you stretch yourself?

Now take a deeper look at your creative business this year. Ask yourself the following questions to help spotlight your successes and uncover nuggets of learning:

• Look back at the goals you set out for 2010. Which ones were you most proud of accomplishing? Which goals were easier to meet than you thought? Which ones were more challenging? Why?
• How did you honor your values in your business?
• What did you learn about your perfect customers?
• What new relationships or partnerships did you cultivate in your business this year? How did that help you?
• What was your most profitable product or service this year? What was your least profitable?
• What did you enjoy doing that you want to do more of?
• What do you need to stop doing or let go of?
• What new opportunities are available for 2011 and beyond?
• In the remaining weeks of the year, is there anything else you want to do to help you put a pretty bow on 2010?

Your responses will not only help you recap all that you’ve accomplished this year, but they’ll also help you pave the way for a solid plan for next year.

If you want an extra-creative, right-brain way to do your year in review, how ’bout creating a “Year of You” magazine spread? Write an article about all that you learned and accomplished. What would the headline read? Imagine that you won an award for your work in 2010. What are you being honored for? Include photos and captions to highlight key moments of your 2010 entrepreneurial journey.

Woohoo! Congratulations. Now make sure you celebrate, too! Trade in the cocoa for some bubbly and raise a glass to you and your fabulous creative business. Cheers!

Draw on your body wisdom.

Scan yourself from head to toe. What do you become aware of? What is your body asking for? Perhaps a brisk walk outdoors. Or a nap. Or a hug. Maybe it’s urging you to speak your truth. Or to get up and shake your booty.

How can you honor your body wisdom today?

Take one dose of Right-Brain Booster as needed to enhance your creative intuition.

Name: Michelle Ward
Company Name: The When I Grow Up Coach
Website: http://www.whenigrowupcoach.com
Twitter: @WhenIGroUpCoach

Note from Jenn: This week’s spotlight is simply “amazeballs” because we’re featuring the uber-fantabulous Michelle Ward the When I Grow Up Coach. Michelle’s energy, enthusiasm, and wacky sense of humor always bring a smile to my face. And this talented coach, performer, and creative entrepreneur generously shares a wealth of wisdom through her blog, her e-Course The Declaration of You with Jessica Swift, and her inspiring collaborative project Spring. I know you will get a kick out of Michelle’s rockin’ interview below. Enjoy! All images courtesy of Michelle Ward.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I’m the When I Grow Up Coach, and I work with creative types on helping them devise the career that they think they can’t have – or discovering it to begin with! It’s amazeballs.

How has the Right-Brain Business Plan helped you? What is different for you and your business after approaching planning in a creative, visual way?

I used to start shaking when I heard the word “business plan.” While I’m an organized person who’s all about the planning, the “numbers” piece of a traditional business plan scared the bejeezus outta me. While I felt it was important to make goals for myself and have some projections, the thought of writing a document the size of War & Peace that delved into every aspect of my business….(shiver) (See?). I put it off and put it off ’til I realized that, since I wasn’t planning on gunning for a bank loan anytime soon, I didn’t really need a business plan in the traditional sense. Amen & hallelujah! The angels sang, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and I found the Right-Brain Business Plan™.  After buying the e-book and going through the visualizations and exercises, I know my long-term goals, I know my short-term goals, I know myself, I know who my ideal clients are….I just know.

What goals (big or small) on your business plan have you already accomplished or have made progress on?

Leaving my day job to work as a full-time coach, “perfecting” my elevator speech (which is always evolving), discovering how/when/where I work best, offering a free downloadable workbook for everyone that subscribes to my newsletter, growing my social media network, co-creating and launching an e-course,  incorporating my business as an LLC, getting more & more people learning about me through the press/blogosphere,  building my client roster to 90 people, and landing a literary agent.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

As a creative type who works with creative types, I always encourage fun, out-of-the-box, artistic-like homework for my clients. Instead of writing a list or a journaling about what you want your life to be like in a year, I have my clients write a letter to their future selves, dated one year from today’s date, describing all the awesomeness that happened over the past year. Instead of asking, “What would you do if you were coming at this from a place of empowerment instead of defeat?”, I’ll have ’em draw their Alter Ego Superhero. It’s all about using the right side of that brain to gain a new perspective, to move forward, to have those a-ha moments.

Is there anything you’d like to share about your Right-Brain Business Plan in terms of what it’s made out of or how you made it?

I hafta say, this hung me up for quite a while! I’m not sure how much time passed before I set eyes on 6×6 cardstock that I had buried in a closet. While I still have no idea why it was there or what I bought it for, I thought having mini inspiration boards would be amazeballs! I could put each collage on it’s own card, and then add to ’em with project ideas, time management structures, yada yada yada. I ended up cutting a cereal box to use as a holder, and covering it with a bunch of Jess Swift stickers! I’ve been adding to it ever since, and I love how I can put certain cards front and center when needed, and file ’em away when I concentrate on something else. My Right-Brain Business Plan™ really ended up being my fundamental foundation and continued structure for business building.

What’s your vision for your business?

This is such a bigger, scarier question than it seems! Well, I have an agent and am working on a book proposal now, so I hope to be a published author. I’d also love to work mostly through group sessions, have a smattering of private clients, co-run The Declaration of You a few times a year, and speak/lead workshops. Maybe host my own retreat with the Spring gals? That would be beyond beyond.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

You are not unfocused. You are not broken. You do not have ADD. You don’t “have” to do anything that the conventional world is doing/telling you to do. The only things you have to do is stay true to your uniquity, listen to what your gut/heart says, and actively do at least one thing every day to move forward. I promise promise promise that’ll get you not only where you want to go, but where you need to go, where you long to go, where you’re supposed to go.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Come hang with me on whenigrowupcoach.com, as it’s a one-stop shop for my coachin’, bloggin’, linkin’ to SocialMediaLand, and givin’ away free stuff. Also, Jennifer Lee is amazeballs!

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Michelle Ward.

Registration is now open for Michelle Ward and Jessica Swift’s fantabulous e-Course The Declaration of You (affiliate adoration link!) in Feb/Mar 2011.

Click here for Right-Brain Business Plan™ e-Course and the Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book.

Last week was the Creativity World Forum in Oklahoma. This post from one of the speakers Linda Naiman, provides a great overview of what looks like was a fascinating conference and gathering of creative minds.

Some tips from Inc. Magazine on how to rebrand your business.

Interesting research on the cognitive cost of expertise or why knowing too much creates blind spots.

Give yourself breathing room.

Clear your head. Create space. Say no so you can say yes to what you really want to say yes to.

Take one dose of Left-Brain Chill Pill as needed to quiet your judging mind.

NOTE: This post originally appeared in my Musepreneur column on the Wishstudio.

As a creative entrepreneur you probably wear many hats – from creator and writer all the way to bookkeeper and scheduler. I bet you love doing your craft, blogging, or painting, but you probably loathe the more left-brain business tasks. Believe me, I’d rather be drawing colorful doodles than drawing up dry legal contracts. But just because I loathe those left-brain details doesn’t mean I can ignore them, even if I desperately want to bury my head in the sand.

Maybe you’ve reached out for help before and you feel like you’ve gotten burned. I’ve had that happen more than once and it can be very frustrating and discouraging. But before you vow that it’s easier to just do it yourself, ask yourself what are you truly passionate about? Why did you start your creative business in the first place? Chances are you’re passionate about everything but those burdensome details that are driving you crazy! You started your business to bring beauty and creativity into the world, not to be buried in bank statements or endless administrative to-dos.

When I first started out, I handled most of the business details (and my hubby helped, too, with all things techie and research-related). Soon enough I realized that in order to help my business grow (and for me to stay sane!), I needed to invest in some help. Since then, I’ve slowly expanded my “virtual team” to include an accountant, bookkeeper, virtual assistant, and when needed, a lawyer and graphic designer. They help me focus on the things I enjoy and they get to focus on what they enjoy. It’s a win/win for everyone!

Here are some tips for when you’re ready to start working with someone:

• Be clear about what you need help with. List the tasks that you want to delegate. Even if you don’t have an ongoing need, perhaps you have an upcoming project that could benefit from expert advice or an extra pair of hands. Maybe you’re launching a new website, developing a new workshop, or preparing for a big art show.
• Be clear about whom the perfect person would be to help you with these tasks. What qualities and experience does she possess? What are her values and how do they align with yours? Get out your journal and write about this perfect person as if you’ve already been working with her for a while. Describe what you enjoy most about your partnership.
• To find potential people, ask friends and colleagues for referrals, network and talk to people, and search online.
• Interview at least two to three people so you can get a feel for who would be the best fit. Ask a set of questions to help you gather the information you need. Inquire about their process, turn around time, rates, and anything else you need to make your decision. You might even want to ask to speak to past or current clients.
• Do your homework, but also make sure you follow your gut. You want to have a good feeling about working with them.
• When you decide to hire someone, spend some time during your first meeting to get to know each other and learn about each other’s working style and expectations.
• Keep the lines of communication open so that both of you can give feedback and raise any concerns before they snowball. If things can’t be resolved after having conversations, don’t be afraid to move on. It may feel like an awkward or uncomfortable “break up,” but be willing to start looking again if it’s not working out. Don’t settle. You’ll be much happier when you find the right person!
• Continue to develop your working relationship with your outside partners. Show your appreciation for their good work. Let them know how much they are helping you and what you love about working with them. Help them expand their business by referring them to your friends and colleagues.

If you’re not ready to hire outside services, check out these other tips for getting help so you don’t have to go it alone.