The Windshield: Set Next Year's Number Before You Look Back

Most practitioners look at their numbers the same way every month.

Revenue was X. Expenses were Y. Net income was Z.

That's the rearview mirror view. It's useful, but it only tells you where you've been.

Here's what I want you to do instead: look through the windshield.

The windshield asks a different question. Not "what happened?" but "where are we going?"

Your numbers aren't just a report card. They're a navigation system. And you can't use a navigation system if you never set a destination.

When I plan with clients every October, we go revenue, then labor, then margin, then cash, then owner pay. In that order, because that's how a P&L actually works.

But before any of that, one thing.

Name one number you want to be different next year.

Not a goal. Not a resolution. Just a number. Revenue, net income, your hourly rate, the cash sitting in your business account. Pick one. Write it down before you look at what it was this year.

That's the windshield view. That's where it starts.

Everything else comes after you decide where you're going. Every plan. Every hire. Every marketing decision.

The businesses that grow intentionally aren't the ones with better information. They're the ones who decided first.

Your move this week: Before you look at your year-to-date numbers, write down one financial number you want to be different next year. Then look at where it stands today. That gap is your plan.

Stay Profitable, Dan

Want help with your own numbers? Schedule a free numbers review. One call, two or three of your real numbers, and a clear next step.

This post first appeared in The Profit Weekly, Dan's Friday email for private-pay and hybrid practice owners. Get The Profit Weekly every Friday.