Fourth Quarter is upon us! 2020 has eerily flown by and we seem to be getting through what may have been one of the most challenging moments in the history of business. A time I hope you are able to optimistically reflect on, learn from, and rise above.

Q4 is an ideal time of year to launch your annual business review. We’ve created a SIMPLE 3-STEP process that will help you get real, deal, and heal from a year of highly uncertain twists and turns.

Our October blog walked you through Step 1 which was Tax Preparations / Financial Review. Step 2 shines the light on 2020 Action Plan results and how to use this information to produce a strong plan for 2021 which is our final Step in the process focused on in our December blog. 

STEP 1:

TAX PREPARATIONS / FINANCIAL REVIEW:

Step One focused on finances. Getting a good handle on your taxes now allows you enough time to implement last minute tax strategy, before EOY. Numbers can be a scary conversation; especially as entrepreneurs as our bank account may not always reflect what one might define as “success”. Our money demands daily review and discussion ensuring you’re making smart money moves year-round, not just on April 15th.

STEP 2:

ANNUAL RESULTS REVIEW

Step Two focuses on the RESULTS of your 2020 Goals and Action Plan allowing you to discover new sprouts of opportunity to increase production and overall success. 

Now if you haven’t identified business goals or an action plan as of yet, not to fret, use your actual results to build on and plan ahead. The goal with this exercise is to compare where you wanted to be at the start of 2020 versus where you are today, then use that information to fill in any gaps. 

Several things to keep in mind as you complete your Annual Review:

– 2020 has been an Asshole of a year, BE KIND TO YOURSELF

– If you pivoted this year, do you plan on continuing the new practice or release it when things begin to normalize

– Focus on all the GOOD stuff that did go right this past year!

Pro Tip: Below is a simple spreadsheet breaking down high level annual goals chunked into quarters and ultimately serves as an amazing CEO vantage point on your business.

2020 GOALS/ACTION PLAN:

I hope this helps you wrap up 2020 successfully. Stay tuned for Step 3 as we begin planning for 2021!

Fourth Quarter is upon us! 2020 has eerily flown by and we seem to be getting through what may have been one of the most challenging moments in the history of business. A time I hope you are able to optimistically reflect on, learn from, and rise above.

Q4 is an ideal time of year to launch your annual business review. We’ve created a SIMPLE 3-STEP process that will help you get real, deal, and heal from a year of highly uncertain twists and turns.

STEP 1:

TAX PREPARATIONS / FINANCIAL REVIEW:

Step One focuses on finances. Getting a good handle on your taxes now allows you enough time to implement last minute tax strategy, before EOY. Numbers can be a scary conversation; especially as entrepreneurs as our bank account may not always reflect what one might define as “success”. Our money demands daily review and discussion ensuring you’re making smart money moves year-round, not just on April 15^th.

Tap into our go to financial/tax hacks to collect your coins with confidence:

1. Create an e-file to sit on your desktop and a hard file both labelled 2020 TAXES to hold and organize any financial / tax documents needed for filing
2. Review YTD GE’s, catch up and/or reconcile for the year where needed
3. If you work with contractors/vendors, begin preparing 1099 documentation
4. Collect outstanding payments from clients to ensure income is received and counted in the year, for the year
5. Pay outstanding dues, fees and any in the year, for the year expenditures
6. Make any last-minute business purchases and investments and write them off for the year

Pro Tip 1: work with a bookkeeper like Kristin Rocco of Nerdy Girl Services who manages you books daily, prepares your Quarterly GEs, helps organize your paperwork for your CPA prep, and takes the lion’s share of the above off your plate.

Pro Tip 2: to help save you thousands of tax dollars, work with a CPA, Certified Tax Planner and Tax Master like Janean Kong of Smart Tax and Business Solutions. She also helps you access capital to leverage life’s demands, provides proactive tax strategies throughout the year, and is able to represent you in court against the IRS should you need.

I hope this helps you begin to wrap up 2020 successfully. Stay tuned for Steps 2 and 3 in our upcoming blogs!

So you’re doing the work. Give yourself a pat on the back. You’re showing up every day for your online audience and you’re having fun while doing it. You notice there are people commenting, you’re getting some responses, and you spend time liking, sharing, and interacting with fellow business owners on social media.

But how do you know if it is really working? Well, my girlfriends, that’s where metrics come in.

So if you’re just getting started or have been online for a while, here are a few of the important metrics to track and how to do it.

1. Set a timeline. Every week, every month, and every quarter, you should be setting specific goals in a specific amount of time to make sure you are not getting loss in the abyss that is social media. Get on, get going, and get off to other money-making opportunities. So whichever way you want to track that, whether the old-fashioned pen and paper way or on a google sheet, set a timeline to interact with x amount of new followers, follow up with x amount of current followers, and go for x amount of potential collaborators.
2. Website traffic. Do not forget to measure how many people are coming to your website after a specific post. Perhaps you would like to do this monthly, and look at which posts drove the best traffic to your site and which ones ended up converting to sales. By assessing this information, you can figure out why certain messages resulted in more traffic and why. Then go ahead and repeat, repeat, repeat.
3. New Visitors vs. Ol’ Faithfuls: Sometimes all of our attention goes towards our current supporters, but the real purpose is making more money and expanding online so don’t make the mistake of simply keeping up with who is already in your network. When you get a new like, a new follower, or a new sign up, make sure you are doing your due diligence to follow up accordingly and keep this information in an easily accessible folder either on your desk or on your google drive to hold yourself accountable for following up.

Those are a few of our top suggestions for how to properly assess how your online platforms are performing. There is always room for improvement and the numbers don’t lie. So set yourself up properly and make the most out of your time online.

We hear from people we love and appreciate all the time- know your worth. 

Whether it’s your sister, your mother, a friend, or a co-worker, this healthy reminder is handed out to us by trusted allies to wake us up to the fact that we are indeed worthy of the life we’ve always dreamed of, the relationships we’ve always wanted, the house, the career, and whatever else is on our bucket list. What that looks like for each individual differs, but one thing we all share in common is that we all have held ourselves back from time to time. Whether we shrank out of the fear of standing out, or passed on opportunities because we didn’t truly embrace our power, it’s time we make a valid effort to start choosing differently in those moments and to give ourselves permission to make the purchase, achieve the goal, or buy that membership once and for all. 

This Forbes Magazine article was written by a career coach and consultant who touches on why the issue of self-investment is more prevalent in women than men. In her field, she’s found that men are often quicker to purchase her services and see the value in self investment where as women tend to struggle more with it. Her male clients see the value in spending money on professional services, knowing and trusting it will take them to the next level, where as women typically feel they need to check with someone else first, do more research, or wait for the right time. What she found is that women are often more afraid of the idea of gaining more success, and, of course, believe the money would be better spent on somebody else other than themselves. Now if this sounds like you you are not alone, but we at RUSHwahine are here to encourage you to break these mental blocks and take back your power once and for all. We want you to reach for the stars. We want you to stop listing all the reasons you can’t grow, even in times like these, and start listing the reasons why you will! 

That is why membership at RUSHwahine is so valuable. In our network, you have 24-7 access to like-minded female business leaders who you can bounce ideas off of, get advice, leads, and encouragement. Membership also comes with a mastermind accountability group, where twice a month you meet with the women in your cohort to set professional goals and maintain focus on your financial endeavors. And it’s only $40 a month. The best part of being a RUSHwahine member is that you get out of it what you put in. But one thing is for sure- you will guarantee make your membership back through sales, collaborations, and exposure. So, today, we would like to ask you- what’s holding you back? What’s your excuse? Buy your RUSHwahine membership today.  You are worth it!

Enjoy the moment has been grossly underrated. That’s certainly been the case with this pandemic. Something about not being able to enjoy the simple act of meeting up for coffee, gathering for a glass of wine on a Friday night, or joining some of Hawaii’s Top Women in Business for a professional event really puts life into perspective. When these small, everyday options are taken off the table, only then do we really feel and understand their true purpose in our lives and appreciate their ability to allow us to connect and to share space and heart.

At RUSHwahine, we have built strong relationships with our industry partners who assist us in our mission to encourage, educate and empower fellow wahine in business here in the islands. Years of working in the Hospitality Industry, our founder, Terra Foti, who’s husband is the current General Manager of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, knows all too well the pain our local venues, hotels, and resorts are experiencing.

Every few months, for the past six (6) years, RUSHwahine has hosted a variety of evening and day events throughout Hawai’i and we want to take a moment to recognize those partnerships and let them know we haven’t forgotten about them or the importance of returning in order to help an industry Hawai’i so heavily relies on recover.

A huge MAHALO to our past and current venue partners. We look forward to sharing time and space with you again in the near future.

O’AHU:

• HILTON Waikiki Beach HOTEL
• Altitude 37
• MAC 24/7 RESTAURANT 
• HERRINGBONE WAIKIKI
• KO HANA RUM (O’ahu)
• MORIMOTO ASIA WAIKIKI
• FLOUR & BARLEY
• FIT FOR A GODDESS
• WOOD & BUCKET
• HARD ROCK CAFE
• POMAIKA’I BALLROOMS
• YAUATCHA WAIKIKI
• SEED KAIMUKI
• M HNL
• SOUL DE CUBA

MAUI:

• MARRIOTT WAILEA BEACH RESORT 
• HAKU MAUI
• MAUI WINE
• BISTRO CASANOVA (KAHULUI)
• ‘AMI ‘AMI BAR & GRILL
• MAKAWAO GARDEN CAFE

BIG ISLAND:

• MARRIOTT WAIKOLOA BEACH RESORT

KAUA’I:

• SHERATON KAUAI AT COCONUT BEACH

MAHALO FOR YOUR KOKUA AND PARTNERSHIP! WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AGAIN.

And, as always, if you or someone you know is ready to commit to starting and growing a successful business, then become a member TODAY. What better time than now to focus on improving your work, your services, and yourself. Sign up below.

As the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are starting to be felt on a local level, we must now, more than ever, work together to succeed. It is in times such as these that the RUSHwahine community, through a mindset of collaboration over competition and abundance, can offer support, guidance, and insight on how to properly and strategically navigate this period of uncertainty. 

Supporters and members of RUSHwahine are encouraged to stay positive and use this time as an opportunity to organize,  plan, and full-proof their businesses to the max. One way we can all do that is by beefing up our online systems and structures so they are efficient, effective and impactful. While we are hibernating and taking care of our wellbeing for the sake of others and ourselves, now is a great time to focus on how to develop and perfect your digital libraries so they are making money for you and not cutting into your time. If you’re like us, we use the web for everything, from our banking systems and timekeeping programs to our budgeting projections and marketing campaigns. And in the spirit of community, we are going to be sharing those with you through our weekly emails. Make sure you’re checking your inboxes. We also are getting ready for an online challenge led by our founder Terra Foti. 

Terra will be offering a 7-Day Abundance Mindset and Online Content Challenge that will guide you through the process of content creation. Every day you will be tasked with a goal, and by the end of the 7 days you will have a full-week of accomplishments (and content) that will set you up for digital success in the long-run.  

FREE for members, only $19.99 for non-members, we look forward to seeing you online!  

And remember, we at RUSHwahine are also here for you, especially during this time of the unknown. Let’s join forces to keep hope alive and let’s thrive together through membership and support. Gear up because the challenge starts Monday. 

Also, it’s important for us to not lose sight of our blessings. We as business owners are fortunate to have the resources we do, even in challenging times. That is why we are encouraging you to think of those less fortunate right now and give back if you can. One way you can do that is through your local food pantry. Here is a list of the local food banks and links to their websites.

We’ll see you Monday morning and don’t forget to sign up for the challenge on our Facebook page. 

Oahu

• Angel Network Charities
• Hawaii Food Bank
• Salvation Army 

Kauai

• Kauai Food Bank

Maui

• Maui Food Bank

Big Island 

• Hawaii Food Basket