As we welcome a new year and the beginning of a new decade it’s easy to get caught up establishing new goals and intentions. However, are you setting yourself up to fail right out of the gate? I just met with one of my consulting clients this morning. We met to review planned tactical action items for the next 30-days. That’s it! Just 30 days. At the end of our session we had not even made a dent in the massive list of goals originally outlined in December. The plan is to meet every month to review and re-evaluate what the next 30 days will look like.
The point here is that although it is important to set annual growth goals, implementation of those goals involves a series of tactical steps. When established, these steps (sequencing) often take longer than originally anticipated to carry out. Sequencing is the driver behind implementation and meeting expected goals. Jumping in with over ambitious expectations is a sure way to fail miserably…fast. Just as there is process for approaching the tactical steps within each goal established, there is also a sequence in how we approach each goal.
When building a plan of attack for meeting growth goals it is important to keep in mind the bandwidth required to carry out the sequencing of events needed to reach each of your goals. The following guidelines will help to maintain control over time and execution for implementing your goals.
- Prioritize your goals. When it comes to scalability, revenue growth is generally the number one goal. When prioritizing your revenue goals look at what steps will be involved in executing and accomplishing that goal. For example, if one of your revenue goals is to introduce a new product or service over the next 12-months, chances are there will be much more effort and time involved in making this happen than implementing a plan to revive old accounts or upsell existing accounts.
- Schedule in Planning/Implementation Time. Time management is critical when implementing a successful growth plan. Get into the habit of setting aside time each day to review, implement and monitor how your plan is going. This includes fleshing out what needs to be done tomorrow and who will be responsible. Keeping that needle moving forward continuously will pay off big time in the long run.
- Set smaller milestones. Although your growth plan has a 12-month lifecycle it is important to set short-term milestones. This is why it is important to prioritize your goals. Tackle the easier goals that will generate revenue quicker, ultimately building a war chest for carrying out the larger goals down the line. I like to limit my in-depth sequencing planning to 30 days at a time with a 90-day cycle. I revisit and re-evaluate every 30 days. Things change…flexibility is key!
- Tap into your support network. One of the most important factors to consider when scaling a business is understanding you can’t do it all. Keeping this in mind and planning resource support is critical to success. You don’t have to spend a great deal of money to find the support resources needed either. You can hire interns from your local college or school system…or consider partnering strategically to capture resources. The key here is to make sure the procuring resources are built into your strategic growth plan.
- Keep your eye on the end goal. Even though you are breaking down your overall plan into smaller milestones it’s important to keep your eye on the end goal. Before implementing various milestones or introducing potential new activities ask yourself “Does this effort really contribute to getting me to my goal…or is it taking me on a side journey off of my original path?”
- Celebrate the small milestones. The final step in Prioritizing and carrying out your growth plan is to remember to celebrate your successes. This is one of the reasons we re-evaluate every 30-60 and 90 days. We want to see where we started and how far we’ve come. It’s not just revenue either. Although that is a very good indicator. It’s important to look at the business holistically. How have your efforts helped to brand and create credibility in the market? How has the business structure grown? Are there systems in place that weren’t there before? Has an internal culture been identified that sets you apart from the competition? All of these are metrics that scream success and should be celebrated. Go out to lunch and celebrate with partners or bring in bagels to your employees. Show your appreciation to those who helped you reach your goals.
We’ve been given a great opportunity in 2020 to not only plan for the next 12-months with a whole new plan for our businesses, but to change the trajectory for a new decade as we introduce a new generation of creative thinkers eager to leave their mark on the world. Let’s take advantage of what lies ahead and kick off the next decade with a bang!
MarketAtomy has partnered with Send’Or Capital Ltd, a boutique investment firm to bring a weekly podcast program called Charged Up Studio to launch February 3rd 2020. Charged Up Studio focuses on keeping small and medium business owners abreast of current economic, political and business issues that could impact business success. Delivered in a simple, straightforward format, Charged Up Studio is committed to changing the economic outlook for small and medium business in the next decade. Watch for more information to come soon. If you would like to find out how you can be a guest speaker on Charged Up Studio email info@chargedupstudio.live.
Danna is a Business Growth Strategist, CEO of MarketAtomy, LLC and Podcast host of chargedupstudio.live. Her passion is working with small first stage entrepreneurs to ensure that they start out on the right foot and stay on the path to financial freedom. Known as the Business Birthing Specialist, Danna understands the intricacies involved in starting and running a successful business. As an intricate component ingrained into her client’s business structure, she works diligently to keep her clients accountable and on track to fulfilling their success goals.
A graduate of the University of Central Florida’s College of Business, she brings more than 35 years of strategic planning experience in business, marketing and business development both nationally and internationally.
Danna is not only a professional business growth strategist, she is a public speaker and author with “MarketAtomy: What To Expect When Expecting A Business” and #1 Amazon Best Sellers “Success From The Heart” and “Journey To The Stage.”
