Imagine there was one thing you could do to increase your probability of success to 98.75%. Would you do it? “Of course!” you say.
Think again. Awhile back I heard Christopher Flett, Ghost CEO, speak on Success. He told the audience “Only 10% of US businesses plan on a yearly basis; of that 10%, only 10% write down their plan and follow it. Of that 1% of all US businesses that write down a plan and follow it, their success rate is 98.75%.”
Often Small Business Owners and Solo Entrepreneurs get so engaged in the day to day operations of running their business – marketing, selling, delivering and keeping their customers happy – that regular business planning falls by the wayside. One day they wake up in a place they never intended to be. Without a written business plan, it is very easy to be pulled off track by every shiny object that comes along.
Early in my career I worked for a company that required a business plan be presented at every quarterly sales meeting. The template was simple. It cascaded from the overall company business plan. It included my 3 main objectives for that quarter with timelines, the 5 most important tasks I needed to do to accomplish them and the support I required from management to make it happen. It was embedded in my DNA! Each plan was a living, breathing document that kept me focused and accountable. It was not something I got out, dusted off and updated for each meeting.
How often do you plan your business development? Do you sit down weekly/monthly/even yearly and come up with a plan on what you are going to build and how you will build it?
Here is a Quick Tip for all you solopreneurs out there. Take some quiet time to give some serious thought to your business. Write down your goals, objectives, the tasks and support you need to accomplish them. Make sure you include timelines! Then routinely examine your progress, make any adjustments needed and keep moving forward. And remember…
Whatever Your Goal or Dream – WE Can Make it Happen!
