It’s business plan time again, sort of. A lot of us created a business plan last year and much like our new year’s resolutions, nothing ever came of it.
The top reasons for not following a business plan are 1) the format was beautiful but much too cumbersome to use, 2) it was based on garbage assumptions that we never really believed so the plan was useless, 3) the goals were so vague that I probably achieved them without the plan, 4) I set the goals so high I knew I’d never reach them no matter what I did, 5) a consultant did the plan and I have no idea what’s in it, 6) the goals were so low we’ll make them by March so why bother working with the plan, 7) some key employees quit and I can’t do the plan until I hire more people, 8) I always wait until the end of the year and then set my goals equal to what I achieved, 9) the plan is on my desk somewhere but I can’t find it, and 10) I don’t believe in business plans because improvising is the best thing for small businesses.
There are great ways you can create a business plan that will be simple to write and use, focused on just a few critical parts of your business, based on good input, and with a few measurements so you know how well you are achieving your goals and succeeding in your business.
Friday, January 11, 2008
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2 comments:
John,
After reading your blog, I sat down and wrote 3 goals for 2008 on a torn piece of paper. I really think simple is best. Now, I get to think everyday on how I'm going to reach these 3, very important, goals.
Last week's South Council Luncheon was a huge success. There was a large turnout and the speaker was fanatastic. If you have a business especially on the Southside, you need to attend the lunches to network, build business relationships, and help your business grow.
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