11 Ways to Measure Success They Don’t Teach You in Capitalism
ID: A large oak tree with sprawling gnarled branches
Traditional end of year business reviews tend to focus heavily on quantifiable “metrics” and achievements. In for-profit businesses this focuses heavily on metrics like revenue, profit, units sold, clients secured, and the like. In nonprofits the focus is on grants secured, donations received, and services offered. And while these are clearly important factors to assess the success of our businesses, they can feel flat, superficial, or just boring.
What’s more, our value as entrepreneurs, micro business owners, and nonprofit leaders can get wrapped up in these metrics. If I didn’t meet my revenue goals, does that mean my business is failing, and then, what does that say about me as a person?
These anxieties can be even more heightened for those of us committed to developing our business with a social justice or mission-driven focus.
And here’s the thing: even if I soared past my revenue goals this year, what does that really tell me? How do I know I’ll not only continue to meet my goals but push myself and my business further?
The real growth- and the real work- often shows up in ways that we too often ignore or deprioritize.
Engaging in critical reflection and taking a holistic look at our businesses beyond the numbers is what allows us to see past the balance sheets and identify how we can dive deeper, where we can make improvements, and what kinds of emerging opportunities we can harness.
Below are a few questions to ask yourself as you reflect on your past year, quarter, or any other season of time. I cultivated these questions as an exercise for self-assessment and have found them to be a powerful ally in my reflections as I head into 2023. They have helped me find a new appreciation for my accomplishments and perspective on the things that didn’t work out how I had hoped. I hope they do the same for you.
These prompts are an exercise in generativity, in the spirit of abundance. While I firmly believe in asking the hard questions, challenging limits, and leaning into discomfort, hyperfocusing on what went wrong denies us the opportunity to see where and how we have grown and can continue to grow. Talk to yourself like you’re your own best friend, with the loving yet firm spirit of a parent (note: if you have had challenging relationships with parents, imagine the parent you need or needed).
These prompts are designed to be open-ended and imaginative. Use them as inspiration however you need. Free-write, draw, build a mind map, take voice notes, trade interviews with a friend, make a playlist. If one of the prompts sends you into dreamland I encourage you to follow. If something doesn’t resonate, let it go.
Take as much or as little time as you need. And if you’re someone who prefers to set intentions in the spring, a personal or cultural marking of time, or another time of year, these are questions you can work with over time or of course, save for later.
ID: A sunset framed by 2 ends of a rainbow over a field of snow. Photo taken on Menominee and Potawatomi land.
Reflect, journal, chat it out:
What did I learn?
How did I push my growth edges? What was the result?
What did I say no to? Where did I define or hold my boundaries?
How did I create spaciousness?
Where did I deviate from my goals or plan in a way that was organic, intuitive, or natural?
Where did I experience abundance? What flowed to me easily? What unexpected blessings did I receive?
When did I take a leap of faith?
How did I make my younger self proud?
How did I care for myself, my family, and/or my community?
How have I taken time to digest and integrate new information?
What insights came to me when I was least expecting?
Wishing you joy and ease in 2023 and beyond.💖
Want to dive deeper?
If you want to talk about some of these concepts in a group of supportive peers, sign up for one of our January reflection and planning sessions.
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