The scariest part of October isn’t the ghost decorations — it’s realizing 2025 is almost over.
Hi y’all,
It’s officially spooky season, but the most frightening thing isn’t haunted houses or horror movies. It’s the fact that we’re three-quarters through 2025 and it’s crunch time to hit our goals.
For many event pros, the transition from Q3 to Q4 happens right in the middle of your craziest time. Most folks are heads-down, not taking time to check in on what they wanted to accomplish this year.
But don’t go into the last stretch doing the same thing you’ve done every year and expect a different result. That’s the definition of insanity.
☕ Time for a coffee date with yourself.
Book a quiet morning (or an evening after everyone’s gone home) and honestly assess: how far are you between where you’re at today and where you want to finish the year?
If you’re on track, amazing. Keep doing what’s working. If you’re way off? Get real with yourself and adjust your expectations between now and December 31st. Better to end up somewhere you’re proud of than be surprised and disappointed when busy season wraps up.
Here’s my framework for this check-in:
Rocks, pebbles, and sand. Think of your time as a jar you want to fill completely. Rocks are your biggest initiatives that truly move the business forward. Pebbles are tasks that’ll help in the next few months. Sand is daily stuff that has to get done.
Event pros (myself included) tend to get overloaded on sand because it feels urgent and important. But if your jar is all sand, there’s no room for the rocks that actually grow your business.
Three questions to ask yourself:
- What do I want to keep doing? What’s working in my current mix?
- What do I need to stop doing? What sand can I pull back on?
- What do I want to start doing? If I’m removing something, what should take its place?
If you had a rough Q3:
Tighten your calendar for Q4. Any business you planned on landing — confirm, confirm, confirm. Make sure you deliver value beyond the stuff you’re bringing on-site (and therefore make the ask for business next year even easier).
Still falling short? Upsell your current clients. Reach back out to old clients. Ask your network for referrals — they’re the fastest way to expand because the trust is already built.
Finally, it’s not too early to start thinking about 2026.
While you’re in the thick of it right now, write down what you want to fix in 2026. Because come January, you’re sure to get amnesia about how challenging busy season was.
We’ll dive into how to make a game plan in the weeks ahead, but now’s the perfect time to get the gears turning.
See you next Monday,
Mallory Mullen
Goodshuffle
