On the 6th day of Business Planning my true love gave to me… MARKETING! Marketing is so much more than shiny business cards and a flashy website. In fact, Marketing is truly grounded in Financials. You need to know these very important aspects: What are all the marketing avenues you’ve invested in? How much are you spending in each of those areas? What return have you been able to track to each of those areas? What revenue was generated as a result? STOP NOW and write down every marketing item you’re doing. Have you been tracking where your business is coming from? If so, … [Read more...]
12 Days of Business Planning – Day 5: PRODUCTS & SERVICES
On the 5th Day of Business Planning my true love game to me… PRODUCTS and SERVICES! Yesterday we discussed the Financials facet. Products & Services are what generate the revenue. Each of your products and services should be individually evaluated. How much revenue did each bring in? What were the expenses associated? If the return was positive, what improvements can you do to make it more profitable? If the return was negative, should you keep offering it with modifications to make it more profitable, or stop selling it altogether? There might be new products or … [Read more...]
12 Days of Business Planning – DAY 4: FINANCIALS
On the 4th day of Business Planning my true love gave to me… FINANCIALS! Of the 8 facets of a business, we always lead with financials – why? Frankly, when the financial needs of your business are met, everything else falls into place. Your money is your launch to freedom; it gives you the flexibility to make key decisions. Financials are way more than production goals – units sold and gross revenue generated. This facet includes consideration of where your revenue is coming from, how expenses are being handled, the tracking systems you’re using, and more. How regularly do you … [Read more...]
12 Days of Business Planning – DAY 3: MISSION
On the 3rd day of Business Planning, my true love gave to me… a MISSION! What’s your MISSION? Your business foundation is like a three-legged stool: in this case, Vision was the first leg, and Values were the second; Mission is the third. Your Mission Statement is your declaration to the world of three things: WHAT you do; WHO you do it for; and HOW you do it. This statement should be short, concise, and memorable. Short, as in a sentence or two at most. Concise, as in to the point – simple enough for your customers to be able to wrap their arms around. And memorable, … [Read more...]
12 Days of Business Planning – DAY 2: VALUES
On the 2nd day of Business Planning, my true love gave to me… VALUES! Day One of YOUR 12 Days of Business Planning had you casting your VISION of success. Today, you identify your core VALUES. So what are they? Core values are individual words that encapsulate your principles and guide your behavior, actions and DECISIONS you make in your business. Great values set the tone for company culture, clarify what you stand for, and lay a foundation upon which challenging decisions can be made with consistency and confidence. When working with our coaching clients, we have them review a … [Read more...]
12 Days of Business Planning – DAY 1: VISION
VISION On the first day of Business Planning, my true love gave to me… a PLAN! In the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas, we’re sharing 12 days of business planning with you! By breaking down the process of evaluating all eight facets of your current business and mapping out your strategy for the coming year into more manageable bites, frankly, you’re more likely to get it done. Where does it all start? With casting your Vision of success for 2020. A clear vision gives you direction; it dials in your focus and gives continuity to your actions. Where do you see yourself a year from … [Read more...]
Are You Getting Your Team in the Game?
Engaging Your Team in Business Planning When discussing teams, sports analogies inevitably come up. Why is that? Quite simply, the “rules of the game” when it comes to forming and leading a team translate well from organized sports to organized businesses. Remember, people support what they help create, so get your team engaged in the planning process for a winning outcome! Can you imagine what a football team would look like on the field if the coach did not share his strategy with the team, if the coach didn’t provide players with their individual responsibilities or the quarterback did … [Read more...]
Five Critical Steps to Next-Level Achievement in Business and in Life
Some of you may already be aware that our President, Amy Stoehr, recently achieved a lifelong dream of going to Africa that included summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro. We are so proud of her, not just for climbing the mountain, but more importantly for casting a Vision, gaining Clarity on that Vision, and then taking Action to ensure that vision became reality. And in true Amy fashion, she returned with a bounty of lessons learned, which she has mindfully articulated in the article that follows. So if you’re ready to absorb some simply stated, yet truly profound messages, please continue … [Read more...]
What’s Standing in the Way of Making a Good Decision?
Decision Time Imagine it’s December 15th and Sherri is sitting at her desk late at night, wringing her hands and contemplating the last 11 months. She is frustrated because what she REALLY wanted to do this year was hire an Administrative Assistant. That never happened, and for months she has put in countless extra hours performing administrative tasks that could’ve been delegated. Now the holidays are upon her and she is tired, worn out and the last thing she wants to think about is planning for the new year. Why wasn’t help hired? Next, we witness Jerry, Director of Sales, driving home … [Read more...]
Are You Under the Influence?
The Power of the Company You Keep Jim Rohn stated we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Positive or negative, we experience influencers of all types. So, who’s influencing you? And is that getting you closer to, or farther away from, the life you’re dreaming of living? Start with Clarity Wherever you are in life, you have to have the vision of where you want to go. What do you really want? Take some time to sit down and write out what you see in all eight facets of your business and your life. (For clarification on what those eight facets are, you can download … [Read more...]
