Planning for 2015
During this crazy time of year, when as product businesses we are taking advantage of Christmas or service businesses trying to finalise business before Christmas, few of us will take the tome to plan for 2015.
Working IN your business is critical at this time of year – but so is working ON it. Otherwise we can get to January without a plan and then all of a sudden it’s Feb!. This can create profit troughs that are the challenge of any SME (that can be avoided!) and from a cash flow perspective, hurt our bank balance for the months after. Don’t leave it too late to plan, get started now and block some time out each week to do more.
Here are 3 tips to kick-start your 2015 planning
1. Create/revise your Vision Board
A vision board is a visual representation of your goals and dreams and can include what inspires and motivates you – from words to material goods. What are the personal and professional goals you want to achieve in 2015. Get out the magazines and glue or start a new board on Pinterest (I would love to see them btw). Like the law of attraction, being reminded of our goals can bring us closer to realising them.
2. Review your Business Plan
You shouldn’t have top blow the dust off your business plan! It should be a living-breathing document that is a consistent work in progress. What good ideas are still to be realised? How has the market changed? Where are there unrealised opportunities for 2015? What are your new sales targets and what do you need to do to achieve them?
3. Pull out your little book of good ideas
Entrepreneurs are never short of good ideas and I hope that you have one central place where you jot down those ideas when and where they happen (usually at 3am or in the shower!). Pull out the file and choose the craziest idea and entertain yourself with how you might make it happen! Once you’ve had your fun – look for the ideas that might have been crazy at the time but now seem closer to achievable. You might want to transfer your ideas to a new book for 2015.
What are you doing to prepare for 2015?
