The end of the year is the best time to look at your small business or side hustle with clear eyes. A short review shows what actually made money, what drained you and where to focus in 2027.
1. Gather your numbers by month
Revenue, expenses, number of orders or clients, and hours worked. Your bank statements and sales platform reports have most of it.
2. Look at profit, margin and profit per hour
Profit tells you if the business made money; profit per hour tells you if it was worth your time.
3. Find your top sellers
Rank products, services or clients by revenue. Decide for each: keep, grow or drop.
4. Check expenses by category
Spot subscriptions, fees or supplies that grew without you noticing.
5. Reflect
What were your wins? What drained you? What will you stop, start and keep doing?
6. Set 2027 goals and monthly targets
Set a revenue goal, a few measurable goals with deadlines, and monthly targets. If your sales are seasonal, follow last year's pattern instead of an even split.
Checklist
- ☐ Monthly revenue, expenses, orders and hours entered
- ☐ Profit, margin and profit per hour checked
- ☐ Top sellers ranked: keep, grow or drop
- ☐ Expenses reviewed by category
- ☐ Stop / start / keep written
- ☐ 2027 revenue goal set
- ☐ Up to 8 goals with measures and deadlines
- ☐ Monthly targets for 2027
- ☐ Tax records saved for your preparer
This is a planning tool, not tax or accounting advice. See the free side hustle tax set-aside calculator.