Take a minute to just think about that question. Would you really undertake something as massive, as life changing as moving to a new house without a plan? Even if you’re not the kind of person who likes to plan what will happen every day and book things in advance, you still set out with an idea of how much you can spend, where you want to move to and when. In fact, in this scenario you are almost forced to plan by the institutions involved. But if you wouldn’t move house without a plan, why on earth would you run something as important your business without one?

Planning Is Underrated

I mean seriously underrated. It’s staggering how many business owners I meet out there every day who don’t have any sort of plan in place – they’re just taking every day as it comes. While there is something to be said for ‘living in the moment’, in business it just doesn’t cut it. In order to run a successful, growing business, you not only need a clear picture of where you are, but where you are going and what your ultimate goal is. If you don’t have these goals in place, how could you possibly take the right steps towards achieving them, and measure your success? Frankly, whether the plan is followed to the letter is by the by (the best laid plans always go awry and all that), but the simple act of having a 1, 3 and 5-year plan in place for your business can instil you and your employees with the sense of purpose, direction and drive that is key to success.

Why Aren’t You Planning?

Before I start harping on about the benefits of planning, let’s take a look at some of the reasons business owners give for not having plans in place. These have all been taken from encounters with real business owners over the years, all of who admitted to having no plans in place, written down and being followed in their business.

  • I don’t have time to plan my business – I’m too busy running it!
  • Everything changes to quickly for me to form an up-to-date plan. By the time I’m finished, things have moved on.
  • Oh I do have a plan, it’s just in my head.
  • It’s too constraining to have a plan – we need to be flexible and take opportunities when they come.
  • I don’t know how to plan for my business.
  • Planning my business is really hard and I keep getting distracted.
  • What’s the point? I’m doing fine without one.

Sound familiar?

Benefits To Planning

The biggest problem I face as a coach is that, until people have had a plan and seen the benefits it gives, they don’t know what they’re missing. A plan for your business is about so much more than filling in some boxes and writing up some target sales figures. When you have a plan, you gain a sense of clarity around what you’re doing, where you want to end up and how to get there. For many businesses, the ‘fog’ clears and lets them see which of their daily tasks are really important for the growth of their business, and which are just busywork that will keep them standing still. It forces you to think, objectively and unemotionally, about your business, makes you question past and future decisions and makes it much easier to communicate your objectives to your team members, your strategic partners and even your customers. It is also quite liberating for you, as a business owner, to have a solid direction, and it encourages your team to all work together towards a common goal. This in turn leads to a drastic improvement in performance, which is what every business owner wants at the end of the day!

If all of that sounds good, but you don’t know where to start on your own planning, don’t worry! The good news is you have all the tools you need at your disposal already, you just need a crash course in how to use them. That’s where I come in. I help business owners just like you to really think about their business planning, understand how to plan effectively and work with you every step of the way in creating a business plan that is right for you. To see what I mean, why not book onto one of my 90 day planning workshops, or get in touch for your free, no obligation consultation. I can’t wait to show you just how successful your business could be.