Business Planning in South Florida

Just imagine for a second that you have only one day to buy something that is really important to you - a new car, or maybe a present for someone, or even food to eat. Just how successful would you expect to be if you set off in the morning with no idea of what you were going to buy, no idea of where you were going to buy it from or how much you wanted to spend or even no idea of how you were going to get there - by foot, bus or car? Of course not! You will agree that you would have very little chance of success. Instead I would expect that you would spend a few minutes in the morning deciding what it was you were looking for, where you were going to buy it, how much you wanted to spend, where to shop, etc.

Just as it is in life so it is in business - the importance of clear goals (what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it) and your plan of how to get there are essential to success given the limited resources (time and money) that you can invest in your business. The importance of goals is illustrated very effectively by the survey of Harvard graduates conducted in 1950. The graduates from the class of 1950 were asked about their goals and ambitions and re-surveyed again in 1975 to see how successful they had been. The results of the 1975 survey were really astounding - 3% of the graduates had accumulated 95% of the wealth and they all had one thing in common - they had clarified their goals by writing them down in 1950 and followed plans to achieve them.

So far all this may sound obvious to you, and yet when I talk to business owners, many of them seem to suffer from some form of collective amnesia when it comes to planning their own businesses…..

Most business owners like you I talk to start out in business with some idea - a vision if you like - of what you want to achieve, typical reasons for starting a business are to earn more money, achieve success and recognition, or achieve a better lifestyle. It is also true that they all have a limited amount of money to invest. However what many business owners do not realise is that they also have a limited amount of time - unlike the shopping example above growing a business can take several years and to many people this is a timescale so long that they don't see the need to act urgently.

Even if business owners have a clear idea of what they want to achieve and by when, in other words their goals, they frequently have no clear plan of how they are going to get there, so the journey they make to achieve their goals is often unsuccessful.

Fortunately there are well known techniques and methods that help a business owner solve the problems of creating urgency, having clear goals and a plan to achieve them. Here they are.

First of all, you need to start by spending some time to clearly define what you want to achieve. Develop a clear and compelling vision of what you want from your life and your business - for instance make more money, have a business that works without you to provide a source of income so that you can take a trip around the world etc. It is important that this should be something that is real enough that you can see it, feel it and hear it as it will keep you going when times get tough.
Next work out what you need to achieve in your business to support this vision - revenue, profits, staffing levels etc. over a time of about 3-5 years. Once you have identified what you need to achieve, write it down as a series of Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-oriented and Time-bound (SMART) goals. These now become your business goals.
Now you are ready to start planning. First you need to break your long term goals down into a series of smaller steps that will get you there - these then become shorter term goals or milestones that are a high level plan to get you to your business goals.
Finally you need to put in place a detailed set of actions - a detailed plan that will take you to your first milestone. It is important that this set of actions are sufficiently detailed that you can see exactly how you are going to achieve your first milestone and that there are no loose ends that will lead to 'nasty surprises' as you set out on your journey.

Now you are ready to start putting your plan into place. Of course, as your journey progresses you will need to continually review progress - just as you would if you were driving to Chicago, to make sure you are on track. Should there be a roadblock on the way you may need to rethink that bit of your plan to take evasive action. However, provided you know where you are going and when you have got to be there, you continually work hard to meet your targets, and you take some advice from people who can help you, you will be successful.

To many business owners who are not used to planning, the whole exercise can seem quite daunting and it is often a good idea to get someone else involved who can act as a sounding board, suggest new ideas or even bring in some experience of planning. However, once the plan is complete and you start using it to drive your business, the results will more than justify the initial effort - just think of the 3% of the Harvard class who accrued 95% of the wealth.

Good luck and remember………………..

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail"

For more information on creating your Business Plan and how Business Coaching in South Florida will work for you, contact John Layzell Today (Click Here) or Call 305-899-9963 for a complimentary coaching session or diagnostic of your business.

My vision is success and prosperity in South Florida through business re-education.

Call me now at 305-899-9963 to schedule your complimentary coaching session.

John Layzell
Synergis Business Solutions, Inc.
2235 Magnolia Drive
North Miami, FL 33181
Ph: 305.899.9963
Fax: 305.893.3165
Email: Click Here