Business planning can be easy if you follow a proven system!

While working with clients, I hear all the time how just saying the words, “business planning” makes them cringe. It is often times because business planning is perceived as being lengthy, complicated and burdensome. I show my clients that it doesn’t have to be this way!

I’ve spent the past three decades supporting business owners and coaching them to success and during that time I developed an easy and surefire approach to business planning. My approach is all about keeping it brief, simple and easy to achieve!

From the time I started in my very first professional role, I have been fascinated by the structure of businesses. Part of my role in the banking industry was to meet with business owners to evaluate their needs for short-term and long-term funding, and I quickly came to realize that most businesses fail to plan in an organized manner.

Further, it became clear that all businesses, regardless of what industry they served, shared the same 8 key facets, all of which needed proper care and consideration for the business to flourish. And so, the foundation for my Snapshot Business Planning process was born, which you can also find as my book here.

Organized Implementation

The more organized you can be in your business with the goals you set, the greater success of achieving them. And, if you wait until January to start your planning, you will find yourself behind on everything. Take the time between October and December to finalize your business plan for this coming year and you’ll be so happy you did.

It’s important for you to consider each of these 8 facets of business as you plan your business for next year:

• Financials
• Marketing
• Products and Services
• Sales Systems
• Customer Retention
• Team Growth & Development
• Technology & Equipment
• Office

You can read more about each of these 8 facets in the book, Snapshot Business Planning, which you can find here. Snapshot Business Planning is a proven process centered around a clear approach to these eight facets of business.

The planning process always includes the following four considerations: 

1. Be sure you have declared a clear Vision. What is it that you really, REALLY want for the coming year?
2. Evaluate your current situation. What’s working in each of the 8 facets above and what’s NOT working?  Make a decision to change what’s not working quickly and take action.
3. Declare your action steps. As you set your big goals for the coming year, what specific actions need to be taken to achieve the goals you desire in each of these areas?  Be specific and identify the steps of what needs to be done and who will be the one to execute on these steps.
4. Choose just the TOP SIX goals you will focus on first and then start working on them. If you don’t establish these 6 as your priorities, your most important goals will be pushed aside by everyday “emergencies” and busy work. When business owners have a long list of goals, rather than just a few, they tend to drift from one goal to the next and end up taking much longer to achieve any of them.

We recently launched a totally VIRTUAL Business Planning process versus the in-person on-site business planning that was done for years. This new service, might be just what you need this year.

Make no mistake, with a proven process for business planning and specific action steps to follow through on, your work days will flow easier and your results will soar. Contact us for more information or to schedule your VIRTUAL Business Planning Day send us an email at info@mcleaninternational.com.