Episode 082: Planning A Year You’ll Be Proud Of

A new year brings new possibilities, but without a clear plan, it’s easy to drift through the months without making real progress. Whether you want to grow your business, expand your skills, or simply enjoy more time off, setting structured goals keeps you focused and accountable.
In this article, we explore three key areas of goal-setting:
✅ Personal goals – The things that bring joy, balance, and motivation to your life.
✅ Professional goals – Skill development, career advancement, and refining your niche.
✅ Business goals – A structured, one-page business plan to guide financial and operational success.
We also introduce a free downloadable template to help you map out your goals for the year, ensuring you take action rather than just thinking about it.
Personal Goals: Why They Matter
When discussing goals, business and career ambitions often take priority, but personal goals provide motivation and work-life balance. They remind you why you’re working in the first place and help prevent burnout.
David highlighted three personal goals for the year:
- A family trip to the German Christmas markets – A major travel goal that requires financial preparation and business planning to take time off.
- Learning conversational German – Not only for practical travel use but also as a personal challenge to expand his skills.
- Running a 10km race – Booking races in advance keeps him accountable and gives him a structured timeline to train.
Jackie also recognised the importance of prioritising personal time. She aims to take more short family trips rather than limiting herself to one annual camping holiday. To make this happen, she has already scheduled extra long weekends into her calendar for the year, ensuring she actively commits to time off.
Making Personal Goals Achievable
Many people set ambitious personal goals but struggle to follow through. The key is breaking them into manageable steps.
For example, if your goal is to improve fitness, rather than aiming for a marathon right away, start small:
- Walk to the letterbox.
- Increase to walking the length of your street.
- Build up to walking 5km before considering running.
Similarly, if you’re planning a major trip, start by:
- Researching the destination.
- Budgeting for expenses.
- Blocking out time in your schedule well in advance.
Taking small, deliberate steps makes personal goals more achievable and prevents overwhelm.
Professional Goals: Developing Skills and Career Growth
Professional goals ensure that your work remains fulfilling and financially sustainable. Advancing skills, taking on new responsibilities, or refining your niche can help you grow in your career while improving your income.
Jackie is shifting her practice to focus more on lymphatic drainage therapy rather than pregnancy massage. This requires:
- Enrolling in specialised training.
- Educating existing and potential clients on the benefits of this therapy.
- Adjusting business messaging to reflect her new focus.
David’s professional goals include:
- Specialist training in face, neck, and swallowing disorders – An area that requires advanced knowledge and hands-on practice.
- Planning for long-term education – While he will start with online training, he has already set a goal to attend in-person workshops in 2026 for deeper skill development.
How to Set Professional Goals That Stick
Many massage therapists want to expand their skills or niche their services, but they hesitate because of cost or uncertainty. If you’re considering professional development, start with these steps:
- Research introductory classes or free webinars before committing to expensive courses.
- Speak with other professionals who have taken the training.
- Look at industry demand—will this skill bring in more clients or improve service quality?
- If you work for a clinic, discuss the possibility of employer-funded training.
Investing in professional growth doesn’t have to mean huge financial risk. Taking small, strategic steps can make the process more manageable.
Business Goals: Creating a Clear Plan
For massage therapists running their own businesses, having a structured plan is crucial for growth and stability. Without clear business goals, it’s easy to get stuck in the cycle of working hard without making real progress.
A one-page business plan simplifies this process. Rather than overcomplicating strategy, it forces you to focus on what truly matters.
How to Build a One-Page Business Plan
Ask yourself these four questions:
- What do you want to achieve?
- Increase client bookings?
- Adjust pricing?
- Expand services?
- Why is this important?
- Financial stability?
- Work-life balance?
- Career growth?
- When will you achieve it?
- In three months?
- By the end of the year?
- Over multiple years?
- How will you make it happen?
- Marketing strategies?
- Raising prices?
- Outsourcing tasks?
For example, if your goal is to increase client numbers by 20% within six months, your “how” might include:
- Running a referral promotion.
- Improving your online booking system.
- Increasing visibility on social media.
Another example: If you want to increase take-home pay, rather than working longer hours, adjust your pricing. Many massage therapists hesitate to raise prices, but small increases can make a significant difference in financial security without adding extra workload.
Business Goals Should Be Flexible
Setting a goal doesn’t mean it can’t change. If circumstances shift, adjust your strategy rather than abandoning the goal altogether.
For instance:
- If client bookings don’t increase as expected, try refining marketing efforts or adjusting the offer.
- If training costs more than planned, spread it out over a longer period.
- If work-life balance becomes a struggle, reconsider the number of clients booked per day.
Regularly reviewing business goals ensures they stay relevant and achievable.
Key Takeaways: How to Build a Year You’ll Be Proud Of
- Set personal goals that keep you motivated – Travel, fitness, family time, or learning a new skill.
- Create professional goals that help you grow – Take on new challenges, niche your practice, or expand your expertise.
- Use a one-page business plan to stay focused – Define your what, why, when, and how to ensure business success.
- Stay flexible and adjust when needed – Goals evolve; make changes when necessary rather than abandoning progress.
Get Your Free Planning Template
To make the goal-setting process easier, download our free one-page business planning template.
This simple tool will help you map out personal, professional, and business goals so that you take action instead of just thinking about it.
➡ Visit Our Freebies Page to get your free template.
For more insights, listen to the Folding Towels Podcast or reach out to Jackie and David for guidance on professional and business planning.