Today's article offers 10 insightful questions to review the first half of the year and build midyear business momentum, setting you up for a strong second half.

With the upcoming July Fourth holiday here in the US, I'm sending this out a day early to give you an opportunity to reflect thoughtfully on these questions.

As we reach the year's midpoint, it's an ideal moment to pause and take stock of your progress. Six months have passed, offering a substantial timeframe to assess your growth and results.

It’s a natural opportunity to reflect on what's working well and identify areas for improvement.

And, with half of the year still ahead, there's ample time to make meaningful changes and improvements to create explosive results…. a day at a time.

Here are ten questions to ask yourself. Or, read through them and then take 10 minutes or so to journal one of the answers. It's one of the best time investments you'll make this week. (Unless you're in the US and going to an awesome cookout and fireworks.)

1. What have been my most significant accomplishments so far this year?

2. What are one or two ways I am much better as a leader, owner, manager, and/or person than at the start of the year?

3. How has my staff improved and grown? Can I identify specific examples for each team member and/or one area where the staff does better to drive higher sales?

4. What are one or two ways our customer experience is better than it was?

5. Are our sales where we want them to be? If not, what specific actions can I take to get them on track?

And if you feel like keep going and look forward…

6. Is there any area of my business, staff, or self-development I need to prioritize now?

7. What is something that is sucking up my time or no longer serving me that I should remove or change? (Watch for a new Learn, Coach, and Grow time management program launching next week.)

8. What are some products or service categories, brands, or elements of selling and the customer experience that I should focus on to grow sales?

9. What is the one thing I know I can grow and improve in starting now that will directly impact my staff, customers, and results? (I like to call that Your One Big Thing.)

10. What is my stretch sales goal for the next six months, and what are two or three things I will do to achieve it?



And finally, here's a bonus question to focus on today since we always want to go above and beyond!

11. What is one action I can take today to start implementing the insights from this mid-year review?

So, what’s your most important question and answer to create an extraordinary second half 2024?

So let me ask three questions:

1. On a scale of 1-10, how good are your cannonball/belly flop skills for the pool party? (I’m a good 8. It usually happens when I’m just trying to dive off the diving board.)

2. If you had a midyear do-over, what's one thing you'd want a chance to redo better? (Mine would be the applicant I suggested a client hire that was so bad she got let go within a week. It happens, although I probably should have left out, “She could be your top salesperson within a year.”)

3. What is the one meaningful change or improvement you are committed to making in your business over the next six months to ensure you finish the year strong?