It’s true; we live in a time of incredible opportunity.
Never before has it been so easy to start a business. In 24 hours or less, you can purchase a url for $12, choose a free website template, add some content, create an info product, and boom, you have a business.
Unfortunately, because it’s so easy to start a business, many entrepreneurs think that having a successful business is just as easy. Perhaps that’s why the failure rate of start ups is so high. According to an article in FastCompany, the failure rate is 75% in the first year and 50% in the first 5 years.
What can you do to avoid this trap? In a word, plan.
Making and taking the time to plan can:
- save your business from failing;
- help you avoid some nasty pitfalls;
- keep you on the road to having a lucrative business;
- give you ample time to enjoy living the life you’ve dreamed of.
I can practically hear the groans and moans quickly reinforced with the thoughts that are something like: “Planning is so boring, confining, restrictive and a waste of time.” Or “I don’t like planning, I’m not good at it and I don’t follow a plan even when it’s staring me in the face.”
I’ll share with you what I share with my clients. If planning hasn’t worked for you in the past, it’s because the approach, methodology and tools being used weren’t aligned with your natural style and uniqueness.
Just like most things in life, when you find a tool that works for you, you use it. If it’s uncomfortable, unwieldy, and a real pain to use, then it’s left on the shelf to gather dust.
Here are the three steps to having your plan give you the results you want.
Find the right planning tool
The key is to find a planning tool that works for you, compliments your natural flow and style and gives you focus and perspective so that you can achieve the results you desire.
One of the best planning tools I’ve come across is the The 12-week Year published in 2013. What I like about it is the simplicity of the planning process and the plan itself. It’s flexible, adaptable, scalable and easy to implement.
The authors, Brian Moran and Michael Lennington, show you how to achieve your goals not by working harder, but by focusing on the activities that matter most, maintaining a sense of urgency to get those things done, and shedding low-value things that keep you stuck.
If you want to learn more about this approach, click here to schedule a call with me to explore if this is a good fit for you.
Make the time to plan
Are thinking; “I’m too busy to take time to plan.” Or “I can’t get everything done on my list – why would I add planning?”
Then I would suggest that making the time to plan is exactly what you need. It’s so easy to get caught up in never-ending demands of doing, responding in the moment and reacting to the latest development.
When you make and take the time to plan, you’re stepping into the driver’s seat of your business, your time and your future. In the absence of planning, you’re merely a passenger along for the ride.
My suggestion is that you reserve one day a month, or at least every other month, that is devoted to planning. Some of my clients find it advantageous to schedule this time out of the office, away from the distractions. Devote about 6 hours in the planning process. You can break up the day into categories such as:
- attracting more prospects and creating a new nurturing campaign so they’ll be favorably pre-disposed to participate in your next launch.
- New product or service design and content
- Review previous month marketing and messaging– what worked and what didn’t for you
- Outline messaging and posts that are on brand and represent your core values
- Identifying the #1 thing you want to achieve in the next 30 days, why it’s important to you and how achieving that it brings you closer to having a business and a life you love.
Implement your plan
Now that you’ve established your goals (no more than 3) for the next 12 weeks and identified the strategies and tactics that will ensure you achieve your goals, you’re ready to implement.
Actually, you’ve already done the hard part – creating the plan. Implementation is easy now that you have clarity about your goals, the strategies and tactics.
Investing your time, money and energy into these monthly or bi-monthly planning days can be a game changer for your income, productivity and energy.
It has been for me and I’m confident you, your business and your future can reap the benefits.
If you’d like my help on this, then I invite you to get on my calendar. Let’s explore creating a planning tool that will help you achieve the results you dreamed of when you started your business. Click on the link to schedule your complimentary
Explore | Expand | Enrich call today!
To read the previous posts that gave you the keys to building and sustaining a lucrative business, see the links below.\
Thank you for reading this post and now it’s your turn. Please share your thoughts and ideas below in the comments. I read and respond to each comment because your opinion matters!