12 Must-Ask Questions for Entrepreneurs Ready to Elevate Their Business Next Year
December 15, 2025
My personal reflections, biggest lessons, and the shifts I’m making as I step into a new season.
As the year winds down, I’ve been giving myself permission to pause and reflect on the moments that shaped me — as a mom, a photographer, and a woman building a life and business she’s proud of.
I asked myself the same 12 questions I’m sharing with you in this post. Answering them brought clarity, direction, and deeper alignment. My hope is that they guide you into your own insights as well.
Below, you’ll find each question along with my personal reflections. Let this be your grounding ritual for closing the year with intention.
1. What am I most proud of this year?
I’m proud that I ran my business mostly three days a week while still serving clients deeply and staying present with my family. Wednesdays and Fridays were family days, weekends were fully off, and while it wasn’t perfect every week, it aligned with the season I’m in.
I raised my prices, simplified my offers, leaned into coaching and retreats, and continued supporting my community — all without sacrificing what matters most at home.
2. Where did I grow the most as a business owner and a human?
Buying our dream home expanded me in ways I didn’t expect — and it came with some real behind-the-scenes challenges.
The loan approval process was harder than anticipated, and during it I discovered an incorrectly filed tax year. I had to amend the return and pay an unexpected $10K tax bill, which was not the moment I imagined in the middle of buying a home.
Instead of spiraling, I asked myself:
“How is this happening for me?”
This mindset helped me see the situation as an initiation into my next level. It revealed that I needed a stronger financial team—not just for now, but for the business I’m growing into.
What felt like a setback helped me create a more grounded financial foundation and hire a new accounting team to support my long-term success. And on a personal level, settling into our home and pouring creativity into the space has been incredibly grounding.
3. What am I no longer available for as I move into the new year?
I’m no longer available for scattering my energy across too many offers or operating from urgency. Less but better. More clarity, fewer spinning plates.
I’m also no longer relying solely on my own energy to launch and sell my offers. It’s time to lean into funnels and paid ads to expand my reach and create sustainable growth.
4. When did I feel most aligned with the future version of me and the brand I want to build?
I felt most aligned when coaching brand photographers in my mastermind and when leading in-person retreats. These spaces feel like the truest expression of my brand—confident, grounded, visionary, and magnetic.
My brand isn’t just what people see. It’s the transformation I lead women through, the clarity they gain, and the confidence they step into.
5. When did I slip into old patterns, and what insight did that give me?
Old patterns surfaced when I tried to carry everything myself. These moments reminded me that expansion requires trust and support.
My insight: ask for help sooner.
Let support lift me instead of delaying it.
6. What energized me the most this year?
Coaching photographers, leading my mastermind, hosting retreats, and watching my clients rise into their next-level confidence and clarity. These experiences reminded me where my gifts shine the brightest.
I also realized how much I enjoy content creation when I have the time and space for it. I’m craving more consistency with YouTube this year. Seeing how videos I filmed years ago still impact photographers today is incredibly rewarding.
7. What drained me, and what needs to be delegated, shifted, or eliminated?
Trying to keep too many offers running at once drained me. Managing a complicated calendar drained me. Saying yes when my energy said no drained me.
This question is inspiring me to simplify my offer suite, refine my schedule, and become more intentional with what I commit to. This is my season to go all in on fewer things.
8. What mattered most this year, and did my actions align?
Family mattered most. Presence mattered. Peace and creativity mattered.
Most weeks aligned beautifully with those values, and when things drifted, I adjusted. My business is designed to support my life—not consume it.
9. What standard am I raising for myself moving forward?
Protecting my three-day workweek. This is the standard I’m taking with me into the next year. My schedule supports my values now, not the other way around.
10. What support do I need next year to elevate with more ease?
Hiring full-time support was one of the most transformative decisions of my year. I feel ready to move into the new year with clarity, strengthened systems, and better communication.
Now that I’ve experienced deeper support, I’m committed to continuing that momentum. It feels amazing knowing things are being taken care of behind the scenes.
I’m also in the search for a new business coach who can provide strategy, perspective, and support as I continue scaling.
11. What am I committed to embodying personally and as a visible brand next season?
Personally, I’m committed to embodying a calm, confident CEO who honors her energy and leads with presence.
As a brand, I’m committed to showing up with more clarity and consistency, leaning into my signature aesthetic, and sharing more behind-the-scenes content that brings my audience closer to the heart of my work.
12. What would the next-level version of me do differently—and how can my brand support that?
She would trust herself faster. Simplify sooner. Protect her time like it’s sacred.
She would build her brand around who she’s becoming, not who she’s been.
This means clearer messaging, stronger visuals, elevated storytelling, and content that positions her as the expert she already is.
Your Turn: Reflect and Realign for Your Next Season
Use these 12 questions to reconnect to the entrepreneur you’re becoming. You deserve clarity. You deserve alignment. You deserve a business that feels spacious, profitable, and deeply you.
Consider jotting down your answers, revisiting them throughout the year, and letting them guide your decisions with confidence and ease.
- What am I most proud of this year?
- Where did I grow the most as a business owner and a human?
- What am I no longer available for as I move into the new year?
- When did I feel most aligned with the future version of me and the brand I want to build?
- When did I slip into old patterns, and what insight did that give me?
- What energized me the most this year?
- What drained me, and what needs to be delegated, shifted, or eliminated?
- What mattered most this year, and did my actions align?
- What standard am I raising for myself moving forward?
- What support do I need next year to elevate with more ease?
- What am I committed to embodying personally and as a visible brand next season?
- What would the next-level version of me do differently — and how can my brand support that?
Here’s to a season of embodiment, elevation, and stepping into the woman your future self already celebrates. 💗✨🌿
Ready to Step Into Your Next Level? Join the Flourish 📸 Mastermind.
If you’re a brand photographer who’s ready for deeper confidence, a more aligned strategy, and a supportive community of women growing alongside you, the Flourish Mastermind is your next step.
This mastermind is designed to help you elevate your brand, refine your offers, raise your prices, expand your visibility, and grow with support—not burnout.
If you’re craving mentorship, accountability, structure, and the kind of community that lifts you higher, Flourish is where you rise.
MEET YOUR EDUCATOR
About MEG
I'm a proud boy Mom, world traveler, margarita lover, and brand coach in San Diego who’s empowered over 300 entrepreneurs step into the spotlight, create a brand they’re obsessed with, and flourish in their purpose!
I've created a multiple six figure business through my brand photography and education for business owners (while both my babies were till in diapers)! I love empowering other women visionaries to do the same.
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