Why an Annual Review Is the Most Valuable Gift You Can Give Your Business This Year

As we near the end of the year, many of us are turning our attention to family, rest, holidays, or a much-needed exhale after a busy season. It’s also the perfect moment to offer your business something precious: reflection.

This week’s blog is an invitation to do exactly that: to pause and look back with honesty and kindness; to acknowledge what worked, what didn’t, and what surprised you; and to give yourself credit for the distance travelled.

And to use all of that as a springboard into a stronger, more intentional 2026.

I’ve just completed my own annual review and found it unexpectedly rich. It clarified next year’s strategy, highlighted my blind spots, and showed me parts of my progress that deserve celebrating.

In this blog, I’ll share:

1. Why this practice is so valuable
2. My experience as a worked example
3. A simple framework you can use to conduct your own review

This is not an exercise in self-critique, it’s an act of stewardship, a way to step into January with insight and confidence.

It took me around half a day to do this. If you can find even just a couple of hours over the holiday period, this may be the most productive (and encouraging) hour of your entire year.

I highly recommend this process to anyone considering joining the Hothouse Annual Planning Event, 12-16 January, daily 11am-12 noon (UK). Access free via Hothouse.

PART ONE - Why an Annual Review Matters

Most designers run fast all year. We sprint from project to project, respond to clients, manage deadlines, create content, nurture teams, and keep our businesses afloat with sheer determination. We rarely stop long enough to look up and see what has actually changed.

But an annual review does something powerful:

• it shows you the true story of your year
• it reveals progress you’ve forgotten or discounted
• it uncovers patterns, strengths, and bottlenecks
• it gives you the data to make wiser decisions
• it helps you recognise your own evolution
• and it sets your 2026 strategy on firm foundations

Think of it as giving your business a full health check - combined with a moment of celebration, clarity, and calm.

PART TWO - My Review (A Worked Example)

A candid reflection, shared to show the value, and in the hope that it helps you structure your own.

Rather than present you with a stream of consciousness, I’ve used a simple framework (loosely based on the one I used privately) to give shape to the experience.

1. The Big Picture

2025 was a year of steady, intentional growth. I didn’t experience any huge, dramatic leaps, but I did experience a deepening: consistency, clearer messaging, and greater confidence in what I offer. More than anything, it felt like a year where I strengthened my foundation and discovered confidence and clarity in my unique positioning.

2. What Grew (And What Surprised Me)

Growth I’d hoped for:

• Instagram nearly tripled.
• Hothouse grew from 0 to just under 200 members.
• My newsletter reached 183 subscribers with a 70 percent open rate.
• My mailing list grew from 100 to 300 (a wee bit short of my 1,000 goal!)

But other growth surprised me. My website traffic grew out of sight, quietly, steadily. I would never have guessed the numbers if I hadn’t checked.

• Website traffic climbed from well under 1,000 to around 4,500+ weekly visitors.

3. What I Learned About Myself

• That consistency is everything.
• That showing up weekly, even when tired, builds trust and momentum.
• That my confidence has strengthened - not perfectly, but noticeably.
• That the level at which I feel comfortable operating has risen meaningfully.

4. Where I Struggled

I underused Kajabi (my website/VLE platform), LinkedIn, and Meta Ads.

Despite consistently collecting data, I missed some important categories.

I procrastinated in places where my mindset failed me.

And like many of you, perfectionism slowed me down at times.

5. What I Didn’t Expect

Three things surprised me most:

• My strategic direction for 2026 became instantly clear through this exercise (and it was quite different from what I'd expected).
• A completely unexpected mindset theme emerged. It showed me that my next work lies in allowing myself to inhabit success more comfortably. A useful discovery, and one I didn’t see coming. 
• How much running my business has changed me - I suppose it's a bit like becoming a parent and having to step up in responsibility - Julia v.2025 is quite different from Julia v.2024. 

6. Where I’m Heading Next

2026 will be about:

• strengthening structure
• improving data
• using digital tools fully
• hiring expert help to manage digital systems and processes
• building leverage rather than relying on sheer effort
• monitoring my workload to avoid burnout
• and continuing the personal development that supports all of this

7. How This Review Changed My Strategy

BEFORE: If you had asked me what I my strategy for 2026 should be, I'd have said: more of the same, but with Meta Ads running; make new short courses.

AFTER: The process told me explicitly that - with the foundation I’ve built in the last two years - what I most need now is to invest in external support* to scale my business (using digital tools), leaving me free to continue the full-time job of running my business - this will deliver the greatest growth. The report predicts much smaller advances - and burnout by mid-year - if I continue trying to do all of this myself.

*NOTE: I have already booked a discovery call with a recommended digital strategist.

Another unexpected discovery was this: the determination I’ve shown in my business this year has changed me. Sticking with the work, week after week, has altered something fundamental - my expectations of myself, the way I make decisions, and what I now believe I’m capable of. I also realised that my sense of how seriously I deserve to be taken has changed. It sits a little awkwardly alongside my instinct for modesty, something I’m still working through.

This evolution feels ongoing, slightly unsettling, and very exciting. And recognising the change matters, because to continue the process, I need to be intentional in what I do next: double down on the process that created it, and follow where it leads.

This was a powerful realisation. I didn’t expect to find it in an annual review, but it has shaped my direction for 2026 as powerfully as any operational realisation.

I thought I knew where I was heading. Afterwards, I saw a different path, and much more clearly.

Reflection doesn’t just tidy up the past - it illuminates the future.

8. Why This Matters for You

I’m sharing this because I want you to experience the same clarity and encouragement.

It’s easy to discount your progress.

It’s easy to forget that the work you do, quietly and consistently, is transforming you.

An annual review gives you a moment to see yourself - and your business - with kinder, clearer eyes.

PART THREE — How to Do Your Own Annual Review

A simple, structured way to begin.

I’ve created a straightforward spreadsheet you can use. Each section includes the kinds of questions I asked myself, the ones that produced the richest insights.

You simply:

• Go to Hothouse on Facebook (you'll need to join if you aren't already a member - it's free)
• Download the spreadsheet - it's under the 'Files' tab at the top
• Work through the questions, filling in the metric boxes
• Save as a pdf, and upload to your preferred AI partner
• Ask AI (e.g. ChatGPT or Gemini) to help you interpret patterns or discover insights
• Use what you learn to shape your 2026 strategy

👉 Join Hothouse 

The Excel spreadsheet will ask for data on:

• revenue
• audience growth
• time and capacity
• mindset
• consistency
• wins
• setbacks
• surprises
• long-term patterns
• next year’s strategy

Fill in with the information you have - you might not be able to complete it entirely, but take time (over a couple of sittings might be best - don't rush it) to provide as complete and in-depth a review as possible, and gain further insights by asking AI questions like:

“Help me summarise these findings into themes.”

“What strategic insights emerge from this data?”

“Where should my focus be next year?”

AI becomes a thinking partner, not the driver, but an extraordinarily helpful companion during reflection.

NOTES FOR 2026

This work is at the heart of good entrepreneurship. And if you’d like my structured support next year, two programmes are a particularly good fit:

1. Recipe For Success Bootcamp (April–May)

If your business needs a refresh, or strengthening in preparation for growth, Bootcamp gives you:

• clarity and structure
• business and marketing plans, goals and targets
• pricing strategy
• messaging
• improved client process
• and a much firmer operational base

It’s the perfect companion to your annual review.

2. Boardroom Bespoke (Year-long)

For designers who want this level of scrutiny, data-tracking, strategic thinking, and accountability for the entire year. If you want your 2026 annual review to be full of evidence, insight, and measurable transformation, this is the container that will get you there.

Both programmes are now open for enrolment, at the time of writing I have two Boardroom Bespoke seats remaining, and Bootcamp is filling up nicely.

I’d love to help you build a business you feel proud of.