Spring Cleaning

In 2020, Ax3 had to think hard about our core values and work fast to gain the skills we needed to continue to honor those values. The word "pivot" was used a lot, but it was more of a repositioning than a true pivot. Now we are better equipped than ever to support our clients and their events in whatever strategic goals they may have.

When the pandemic hit, we had to make some hard decisions at Ax3 Studios. Fast. Everyone was talking about pivoting, but honestly, that word got thrown around so much it lost meaning. What we actually did was take a hard look at our core values and figure out how to honor them when the entire events industry got turned upside down.

We came out stronger. Better equipped. More focused on what actually matters.

But here's the thing: you don't need a global crisis to force you into realignment. You can do this intentionally, before circumstances make the decision for you.

If you've been feeling like your business is running you instead of the other way around, or if you're just vaguely uncomfortable with where things are heading, it's probably time for some spring cleaning. Not the kind where you organize your desk drawer. The kind where you get brutally honest about whether your business still reflects what you actually care about.

Start With Why You're Even Doing This

Before you dive into spreadsheets and strategy sessions, you need to get clear on your foundation. What actually matters to you? Not what you think should matter, or what looks good on your website, but the real principles that guide your decisions when things get complicated.

Write down three core values or principles that are non-negotiable for you. If you're stuck, go back to the beginning. Why did you start this business in the first place? What problem were you trying to solve? What kind of work did you want to be doing when you imagined your ideal day?

For us, it came down to creating meaningful experiences, building genuine relationships with clients, and doing work that reflected strategic thinking, not just pretty execution. When we had to reposition during the pandemic, those values didn't change. How we delivered on them had to evolve, but the core stayed the same.

Your values should be specific enough to actually guide decisions.

"Excellence" isn't a value, it's a generic word. "We only take on projects where we can genuinely move the needle for the client" is something you can actually use when you're deciding whether to say yes to work.

Look at Your Numbers Without Flinching

This is the part most people avoid until they absolutely have to deal with it. Don't be those people.

Take a real, unfiltered look at your financial situation. Open your books. Stare at the numbers even if they make you uncomfortable. You need to know exactly where you stand before you can figure out where you're going.

Here's what you're looking for:

Where's your money actually going? 

Break down your monthly expenses. Not just the obvious ones. Everything. What's your monthly nut, the baseline amount you need to keep the lights on? Are you spending money on things that don't serve your core values? Subscriptions you forgot about? Marketing that doesn't work? Office space you don't need?

Who's paying you? 

Look at your client list with fresh eyes. Is your revenue diversified or are you dangerously dependent on one or two major clients? If your biggest client disappeared tomorrow, how screwed would you be? This isn't paranoia, it's reality. Client concentration is a massive risk that too many small businesses ignore until it's too late.

Are your projections honest? 

Look at what you predicted for this year versus what's actually happening. Are you being realistic or optimistic to the point of delusion? There's a difference between ambitious goals and fantasy numbers that make you feel better but don't reflect market conditions.

What's your runway?

If all new work stopped today, how long could you stay in business? Three months? Six months? Two weeks? This number should scare you into action if it's too low, but it should also inform every decision you make about spending and saving.

The numbers don't lie. They might be depressing or encouraging or somewhere in between, but they're reality. You can't realign your business if you don't know where you actually are right now.

Connect Your Values to Actual Actions

Now comes the part where most people get stuck. They have their values written down. They know their financial reality. And then they just keep doing exactly what they've always done because they don't know how to bridge the gap.

Take your three core values and turn them into three specific actions you can take to refocus your business. You may not be an event planner in Seattle, so everyone's will be different. This isn't about grand transformations. It's about concrete steps that move you in the right direction.

Let's say one of your values is building genuine client relationships instead of just chasing revenue. Your action might be: stop pitching to clients who aren't a good fit, even when you need the money. Or: implement a more thorough discovery process before taking on new work. Or: schedule quarterly check-ins with current clients instead of only talking when there's a problem.

If one of your values is doing strategic work that actually matters, your action might be: turn down projects that are purely decorative. Or: restructure your service offerings to include strategy sessions before execution. Or: raise your prices so you can afford to be selective about the work you take.

The key is making these actions specific enough that you can actually do them, not just think about them. "Be more strategic" isn't an action. "Implement a client vetting questionnaire and turn away anyone who scores below 7 out of 10" is an action.

Focus on marketing, networking, and business development. These are the areas where small changes create the biggest impact. Who are you talking to? What are you saying? Where are you showing up? If those things don't align with your values, you're going to keep attracting the wrong work.

Make a Plan That Won't Fall Apart in Two Weeks

You know what happens to most business realignment efforts? They die in a burst of initial enthusiasm followed by the reality of daily operations taking over.

Don't let that happen. Take whatever project management tool you actually use (not the fancy one you bought and abandoned, the one you actually open) and schedule your efforts.

The key word here is realistic. If you give yourself seventeen tasks due next week, you'll complete zero of them and feel like garbage about it. Spread things out. One meaningful action per week beats ten aspirational tasks that never happen.

Break down your three actions into smaller steps. If your action is implementing a client vetting process, your steps might be: research what questions to ask, draft the questionnaire, test it with a colleague, refine it, add it to your intake process, train anyone else on your team who needs to know about it.

Schedule specific time blocks for these tasks. Not "sometime this week." Tuesday from 2 to 4 PM. Thursday morning before you check email. Protect that time like you'd protect a client meeting.

And here's the thing nobody likes hearing: you'll probably need to say no to some opportunities to make space for realignment work. Short-term pain for long-term gain. If you keep saying yes to everything, nothing changes.

Stop Trying to Do This Alone

Being a business owner can feel incredibly isolating. You're making all the decisions. Taking all the risk. Dealing with all the stress. But pretending you have to figure everything out solo is both unnecessary and counterproductive.

Get an accountability partner. Someone who will actually check in on whether you did what you said you were going to do. Not your spouse who has to live with you. Not your best friend who will let you off the hook because they love you. Someone who cares about your success but isn't afraid to call you out.

Find a mentor who's been where you are and made it to where you want to be. Not some aspirational figure you'll never actually talk to. A real person you can ask real questions. Someone who can tell you what worked and what was a waste of time.

Join a community of other business owners who get it. Not a networking group where everyone's just trying to sell to each other. A real community where people share actual struggles and solutions. Where you can admit that you're scared or confused or overwhelmed without it becoming gossip.

At Ax3, we've learned that our best work happens when we're connected to other people doing similar work. When we can share resources, refer clients we're not right for, and reality-check our thinking with people who understand event planning in San Diego and elsewhere.

Running a business doesn't have to be a solo project. It just feels that way sometimes because we've bought into this myth that asking for help is weakness. It's not. It's strategy.

Why This Actually Matters

Here's what happens if you don't do this work: you keep running a business that doesn't reflect what you care about. You keep attracting clients and projects that drain you. You keep making the same financial mistakes.

You keep feeling like you're working harder and harder while getting further from where you actually want to to be. Business spring cleaning isn't about perfection. It's about realignment. Getting back to what matters before you drift so far off course that finding your way back becomes nearly impossible.

We had to do this in 2020 because we didn't have a choice. But the lessons we learned then apply now, pandemic or not. Your business should serve your values, not the other way around. Your financial reality should inform your strategy, not scare you into avoidance. Your marketing and business development should attract the right work, not just any work.

Take the time to do this now, while you still have the breathing room to be thoughtful about it. Because waiting until you're in crisis mode to figure out what matters is a terrible plan.

Your business can evolve. It should evolve. But only if you're willing to be honest about where you are, clear about where you want to go, and deliberate about the steps that will get you there.