As a business owner, few things are as important as having a plan. With a clear picture of the next year, you have guidance to confidently navigate whatever comes your way (and sleep peacefully at night). Without one, you’re left reacting to the highs and lows of the entrepreneurial journey with the hope your guesses won’t cause too much damage.
Maybe a potential investor is asking for a forecast and you want to make sure you tell an accurate story of what’s possible in the future. Maybe you’re tired of guessing about the next season and want a road map that ensures you don’t run out of cash or inventory in the next 12 months. Or, you might be at the point where you know more is possible and are ready to define how profitable an upgraded version 2.0 of your business could be.
There are obvious benefits that come as a result of having a clear plan in place: predictability, confidence, flexibility, control, freedom, and the list goes on. While the detailed steps toward these desired results can be quite complex, the overall steps can be simplified.
- Define the flag in the distance (What is the ultimate goal and definition of success?)
- Understand “here” (What are the levers, controls, and building blocks that we currently have at our disposal?)
- Create a plan to bridge the gap (What is the most direct path to the flag in the distance, and what needs to happen in order to get there?)
- Execute / troubleshoot (What needs to be measured along the way to make sure we’re on track?)
At the end of the day, our goal is to help you find the most direct path to that flag in the distance so that you don’t unnecessarily waste time and money along the way (think of us as your growth architect). We recognize most business owners didn’t start their business to create projections and understand cash flow. But that’s exactly what we did.
Our business is helping you grow yours.
If you need a little help building a plan for the future (or just want to say hello), we’d love to chat. Feel free to schedule a time here.
