The BIG Plan

The magic of the business plan is not the “plan” itself, but the process that the business goes through in putting it together, and then using it as a living document to guide and direct the business. Here are 5 Steps necessary to begin the Planning Process:

1. Know where your business is going. Do you have a vision of what you want your business to look like in 5 years? 10 years? It’s impossible to put together a realistic plan if you don’t have a destination in mind.

2. Break the plan down into realistic chunks. Rather than just do an annual plan, break it down into Quarterly Plans so that you can focus on short-term accomplishments while working towards long-range goals.

3. Assign tasks to team members. Do not think you can do everything yourself. Make sure you get your team involved in fulfilling the plan.

4. Dedicate a block of time to do the plan. Once a quarter spend an entire day away from your business putting the plan together. This will get you away from all of your day-to-day distractions and help you focus on completing the plan.

5. Have a Business Coach assist you. Having an outsider’s perspective to give you ideas and guidance keeps you from developing unrealistic expectations, and going down a direction that doesn’t make sense for you and your business.

Having a solid and realistic business plan can help you overcome the pitfalls that every business owner will encounter. Start today, and make your future happen.

Systems run YOUR business

Effective systems can save you and your team both time and money and frustration. The basic rule for systemising is ‘Systemise the routine - humanise the exception’. Anything that can’t be systemised needs to be run by people. Always look at putting a system in place rather than employing more people. A system means that things are done consistently, regardless of the team member.

Remember…

Systems run your business

People run your systems

You lead your people

There are four basic steps to systemisation…

1. Flowchart your processes.
This will show you how it all fits together.

2. Document how it gets done.
Get the team member who is currently doing the job to write down every step in performing a task. This person then gets a new person to do the task following the written down steps. If the person currently doing the task has to step in and explain anything to the new person then that information is added to the step, etc. Once completed start again with another person until you have demonstrated that any person can do the task without intervention.

3. Measure results using key performance indicators.
Typically, these will be the top five measures to show system performance. Get these from the person doing the job (i.e. in sales you could use no. of leads, conversion rate, average £ sale etc.).

4. Allow the system to change/grow as your business changes and grows.
Ensure that the system is self-correcting so as to allow it to evolve at the same pace that your business evolves.

5. When determining where to start systemising, ask yourself…
What are you doing on a regular basis that a lower paid team member could be doing if it were systemised? Systemise it, hand it over to the lower paid team member and spend your time on higher level activities – remember the goal is to work on your business.

Is there anything you hate doing which could be done by a lower paid person if it were systemised? Systemise it and hand it over.

Some final tips…
Don’t over complicate systems or people won’t follow them.

Use lots of photos, videos, tapes etc. This may be as simple as printing a computer screen or videoing someone doing the task at hand. This will make the systems much easier to follow.
Document your system in a policies and procedures or operations manual in an easy to access format. And make sure everyone has one or knows where it is! Require all of your team members to periodically review the manual with the goal of identifying needed changes on a timely and qualitative basis.