Plan For Economic Bliss, Not Economic Crisis

Submitted by: , Spreaker-Trainer-Consultant

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Now picture your business and your life five years from now. December 2013. What do you see? What is your revenue at the end of the year? How many clients are you working with? How big is your team? How much profit did you make? Now jump forward three years from now. December 2011. Now ask yourself where do you need to be in 2011 to be on track for what you want in 2013? Jump forward to just one year from now. December 2009. Where do you need to be in one year to be on track for your goals in 2011 and 2013? Now you’re ready to work on your 12-month plan for 2009. Never done one? Not good at this ‘planning thing’? Like to fly by the seat of your pants in your business? What if I told you that this ‘planning thing’ is only as hard as you make it? If I could share a couple of tips to help, would you give a try?

The bottom line is that if you truly don’t know what you want to achieve in 5 years, 3 years or even just 12 months, then you will simply do the same thing over and over and over. And you will continue to be very busy all year, yet achieving the same result as the year before. Instead of spinning your wheels in 2009, I challenge you to take time in this final month of 2008 to make your plan for economic bliss. So, grab a writing stick and something to write on, and let’s get started.

You Cannot Manage What You Do Not Measure: Make a list of all the areas in your business that are measurable. That you can track progress from where you are today to where you want to be in 12 months. Revenue, clients, profit margin, accounts, expenses, employees, accounts receivable, etc… Now choose 5-7 of these as areas you want to make improvements on in 2009. List them out.

Example: Increase revenue to $1 million in FY 2009. Establish 20 new accounts per salesperson by 12/31/09.

The first step to any planning process is writing it down. Once it’s down on paper it can become much more real to you, the creator of the plan. And be specific. The more specific you are, the better you can measure it.

So Many Strategies, So Little Time: The next step is to break down the ways in which you will accomplish the goals you have set to measure in 2009. Each goal or objective will have one or more strategies you can implement that fits you, your company, and your team.

Example: Create a strategic partnership with an accounting firm. Develop a personal development program for the sales department. Launch a direct mail campaign to promote new product line. Implement a consistent meeting agenda process.

As you break down the ways you will get to your objectives, you may find there are more strategies than you can actually do over the next 12 months. The key is to begin to focus in on the ones that a) you will get greatest benefit from b) you will actually do! There is no silver bullet when it comes to strategies. There are so many great ideas, but the best ideas are the ones that you will actually follow through on. Be brutally honest with yourself in this process. Which strategies are priority for your business? If there is a strategy you know you won’t or can’t do, is there another person on the team who has that strength? Before you can take action on the strategies, you must also begin assessing who will do what.

Ready, Set, Action!: Give yourself a pat on the back. You have your list of measurable items for 2009 and the strategies you are going to implement throughout the year to make them happen. But don’t pat yourself too hard. You’re not done yet. Now you need to list out that action plan to make the strategies become accomplished goals! Ready? Again, just break it down.

Example: If you’re strategy is to launch a direct mail campaign in 2009, then what has to be done before that can take place? Your Action Plan: Complete a Marketing Plan by February 15, 2009. Your strategy is to create a strategic partnership with an accounting firm in 2009. Your Action Plan: Make a list of possible accounting firms by February 1, 2009. Strategic Partnership solidified by June 1, 2009.

Your third list is where the rubber meets the road. These action items should compliment the strategies you have chosen for the next 12 months that will get you to where you want to be December 31, 2009. And the beautiful thing about measurable goals, is that as you make progress throughout the year, you can adjust up or down to stay in line with your reality.

So, this planning stuff….not so hard, right? If I had a bit more time, I would show you how now that you have a 12 month plan of measurable objectives, strategies to implement and action plans to act on, your next step is to break it down one more level. Get even more specific for what you need to do over the next 90 days to be on track for end of year 2009. It’s great progress to have an annual benchmark; a 12-month plan. But the real work and the real progress is when you can drill it down quarter by quarter. Live your business by 13 week cycles and you will make more progress, faster.

In this time of media driven economic crisis take control of your own financial destiny. Make a plan. Take the time to get what you want for your life and your business one year from now on paper. With a clear road map, you can go anywhere. You drive this bus and only you can make the change necessary to grow and prosper. Let the media talk about economic crisis. You plan for your own economic bliss.

Here’s to your growth and success in 2009! Happy New Year! 

Pamela Muldoon is President of Next Stage Business, a training and consulting firm that specializes in helping small business owners & independent professionals develop business & marketing plans, as well as develop strong networking skills to move their business forward.

For more than 20 years Pamela Muldoon has been successfully helping people improve their current situation by improving their own communication skills. As a Networking & Marketing Strategist, she helps people develop, strengthen and deepen their connections and relationships in business as well as in their life. Using the powerful tools of goal setting, strategy and action plans, Pamela will show you how to create a 100% referral based business! As part of her own network growth, Pamela is a member of the Board of Directors for the TwinWest Chamber, is active as a member of eWomen Network, and pursues personal and professional growth through the National Speakers Association.

Next Stage Business
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