Analyze Your Editorial Business with Confidence

At the end of every month, I sit down with my numbers. Not just invoices and bank statements, but the data behind how I really spent my time, what I earned, and how much I spent.

Then I perform a complete business performance review, at least once a year. But if I need to, then I also do one mid-year (July).

You don’t have to guess whether you’re using your time and money wisely, whether your business is aligning with your values, whether your getting the kind of clientele you want, etc. You can track it. Review it. Reflect on it. And make better decisions next year

As editors, we’re often so busy working in our business—meeting deadlines, managing inboxes, and juggling multiple projects—that we forget to work on our business.

But here’s the truth: You can’t improve what you don’t examine.

Taking time to review your business data is how you stop guessing and start knowing what’s working and what’s not. It’s how you build a business that’s sustainable and fulfilling. When you regularly reflect on your metrics, patterns, and choices, you gain valuable insights.

Data review helps answer questions like:

• Am I underquoting?
• Am I spending too much on things that don’t bring ROI?
• Am I overbooking myself or not using my time wisely?
• Which clients or project types make me light up and which drain me?
• Have I grown in skills, efficiency, and confidence?
• What systems do I need to improve?
• How much time am I spending on nonbillable tasks, and is it worth it?

There’s no one right way to review your business data. What matters is that you’re asking thoughtful questions and looking at trends over time. But sometimes we miss out on questions we could be asking or areas of the business we could be reflecting on because we don’t know what we don’t know.

So I have included some ideas here to get you thinking and at the end I mention a tool that will take away all the guess work.

To get a full picture, consider having a few questions in each of these main areas:

If one area of your business is really strong, you may opt to skip reviewing that area that year and focus on weaker areas. However, don’t always ignore a strong area, as you never know what growth you’re missing out on.

• How many editing projects did I complete this year?
• Which project types did I enjoy the most and how can I get more like those?
• Were there any projects I didn’t enjoy? Why, and how can I avoid similar ones in the future?
• Which blog post received the most engagement, and what made it resonate?
• What types of content did I consistently not make time for and do I want to change that next year?
• How many clients were new vs. returning?
• Who were my favorite clients to work with and why?
• Were there any difficult client relationships? What can I learn from them?
• How can I stay top of mind with my favorite clients so they return?
• How well did I manage deadlines and projects?
• How organized was I with email, contracts, and templates?
• Did I stay true to my mission and core values in how I ran my business?
• Was my branding clear and consistent?
• What were the most valuable courses, books, or conferences I invested in?
• What did I learn and have I put it into practice?
• What areas do I still want to grow in?
• Which editing concepts or business skills do I want to study more deeply next year?
  What was my hire rate for jobs I pursued?
• Where did most of my clients come from?
• Which sources brought in poor-fit clients or no hires?
• Which marketing tactics (blogging, social media, directory listings) actually brought inquiries?

Your data gives you the foundation to build goals that are realistic, measurable, and aligned with your vision.

Your numbers and answers to the reflection questions are only useful if they help you decide what to do differently going forward. That’s where goal-setting comes in.

To set clear, achievable, meaningful goals, follow these tips.

Look for patterns and pain points

Don’t try to act on every single metric or observation. Instead, zoom out and ask:

• What came up repeatedly in my review?
• Where am I consistently overbooked, underpaid, or overwhelmed?
• What am I always putting off, even though I say it matters?

Highlight the themes that feel urgent or exciting. That’s where your goals should come from.

Choose goals that align with your values

Just because a goal is common (like “double my income” or “grow my Instagram”) doesn’t mean it’s right for you.

Before committing, ask:

• Does this goal support my long-term vision?
• Will this move me closer to the business I actually want to run?
• Does this reflect my core values—like clarity, collaboration, education, or efficiency?

The best goals aren’t just impressive. They’re aligned.

Make your goals measurable and specific

“Blog more” or “raise rates” are good intentions, but they’re not goals. Use your data to create measurable targets like:

• Increase my net hourly rate to $X by Q3
• Get 3 new clients from referrals by April
• Reduce nonbillable hours to 35% of my total time
• Post 12 blogs (1 per month) and track engagement
• Convert red-category courses into green by earning at least $X from each

These are specific, trackable, and tied to your real numbers.

Break each goal into action steps

Once you’ve chosen a few focused goals (aim for 3–5), break them into tasks you can work on bit by bit.

For example:

Goal: Improve my hire rate from sample edits
Action Steps:

• Update sample edit email template with stronger framing
• Add a follow-up system for unresponsive samples
• Start charging a small fee for samples
• Analyze past sample edit data to identify trends

These action steps give you a roadmap. You don’t have to overhaul everything at once—you just need to take one small step at a time.

Set a check-in schedule

Business reviews don’t have to be yearly. You can check in monthly or quarterly to review progress toward your goals.

For example, I personally assess my effective hourly rate (EHR) every month and my full business health every year using my reflection worksheet. These regular checkpoints help me course-correct early if something’s off.

Most freelance platforms don’t offer robust tracking tailored for editors, which is why I created my Project Data Tracker. It lets you monitor editing speed, quote accuracy, hourly rates, and more.

And if you want to go deep, my Reflection Form walks you through a complete year-end review—organized by section, with fillable prompts to guide your analysis and goal-setting.

It asks everything. If you can think of a question I didn’t ask, email me, and I will send you an Amazon gift card. I seriously put everything on there!

You can’t just edit; you have to run a business. Reviewing your data helps you treat it like one.

And you don’t need to do it perfectly. Just start somewhere.

Whether you set aside an hour each month or spend a half day each December in reflection mode, those insights will compound.

You’ll start to notice trends and make better decisions. And now your goals will be grounded in reality, not wishful thinking.