Business planning and goal setting can seem daunting, but it’s actually quite simple. All you need to do is answer two simple questions: what do I want my business to be like, and how am I going to get there? A lot of entrepreneurs don’t realize that all they really have to do when it comes to business planning is set their vision of the future, and then take steps today towards achieving it in the most efficient way possible.
What is the secret?
The secret is to have a small business coach and to make an effective plan. Good business coaches can help you start your business on the right foot and make sure you are making smart decisions as your company grows. These professionals can also help you develop an effective plan that will lay out what needs to happen in order to be successful. Effective plans put all of the pieces of your business puzzle together and identify what needs to happen on a day-to-day basis.
It doesn’t matter if you are starting a new company or taking over for one who has left, implementing an effective plan will help any business succeed.
Why does it work?
This is the secret that small business coaches have been telling their clients for years: write a business plan. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to be written. A business plan is a roadmap to success, and without one you’ll find yourself stumbling through the dark with no idea where you’re going or how you’re going to get there.
How can you implement it?
Small Business Coach, Julie Broad has a simple but powerful tip for every entrepreneur: Define success. Then, define what it will take to get there. This can be achieved by answering the following questions: Who is your target customer? What are their problems? What are they looking for in a solution? How will you solve those problems and fulfill their needs? Who is your competition and how do you differentiate yourself from them? What resources do you need to make this happen (time, money, people) and what’s the timeline for reaching these goals?
These questions help clarify your goal and give you a plan that defines success. It’s also important to know where to start before mapping out the full route.
What are the benefits?
Planning is one of the most important things you can do for your business. But how do you know what to plan? The key to a successful plan is to first know the outcome you want. Once you have this, it’s easy to identify what steps are necessary for achieving that outcome. Next, outline those steps in chronological order and break them down into smaller, manageable tasks. Finally, decide on deadlines for each task so that your timeline stays on track. I’ll take a simple example of opening a cupcake bakery:
First we need to find out if there’s enough demand in our area for cupcakes.
How will it help your business succeed?
It will help you to stay on track and focused on what is important. The secret is to never work for more than an hour without taking a break. When you start working, set a timer for one hour. When the timer goes off, stop what you are doing and take a break for at least five minutes. After your break, set the timer again and continue working until it goes off again. You can make this time as short or long as you want, but five minutes is usually sufficient. It can be hard to get into a rhythm when you are constantly changing tasks every minute or two, so taking breaks allows your brain to rest and process the work that it has done so far in order to finish it more quickly afterwards.
