Read each statement below. If it sounds familiar, select “I Agree.” You may discover that your business has a planning problem you need to address.
If you’re nodding your head yes to any of these, you could use our “Small Business Success Plan” workbook.
01
Nose to grindstone.
You’re so busy on day-to-day stuff, you can’t take the time to think through a realistic plan and stay on it.
02
Lost in the woods.
You don’t know where you want your business to take you, or what you ultimately want from it; you just go along year after year.
03
Can’t connect the dots I.
Your short-term goals and activities are not connected with your long-term desires and objectives.
04
Can’t connect the dots II.
Your strategies and activities are not linked to your financial goals. (E.g., “If I intend to increase sales by 25%, then I must make 10 additional sales calls each week.” “If our sales increase 25%, we’ll need three new staff people.”
05
Dreamer.
Being unrealistic; not grounding your goals in what you can actually do. (“I want to double my sales.” but “My health and energy just aren’t what they used to be.”)
06
Bead of mercury.
Unwilling to be pinned down to concrete goals; being fuzzy; not having any real idea of what can be accomplished.
08
List maker.
You produce a laundry list of activities rather than a strategic plan. (“My marketing goals are: get new business cards, install a marketing database.”)
09
Whoops!
You leave out key aspects of the business, especially how to deal with problems, dilemmas, and challenges; thus they are bound to sneak up and surprise you.
10
Lost in the trees I.
You fail to think through the “what-ifs” and set contingencies for things that may not be likely to happen, but will have a huge impact if they do. (“What if I lose my lease? . . . lose a key employee? . . . get a bigger project than we’ve ever had?”)
11
Lost in the trees II.
You don’t anticipate and think through the impact of outside events; e.g., what your competition may do; changes in your customer base, in the technology, the economy, in laws and regulations. (“What if my major competitor gets much more aggressive?” “What about this AI-business stuff, anyway?” “What if the city prohibits parking on my street?”)
REASONS THAT APPLY TO YOU
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If you’re nodding your head yes to any of these, you could use our “Small Business Success Plan” workbook.
