As we sit here at the start of a New Year, many of you may be wondering what the heck you’re going to do this year in your business. You may be:
- Feeling overwhelmed with getting your system in place – maybe you don’t have any clients yet so you’re trying to set up a system so you can serve clients;
- Stuck in “analysis paralysis” because you have so many ideas you don’t know where to start; or
- Trying to stay on top of all the different moving parts; ezine, listbuilding, giveaway creation, blog posts, social media, financial stuff
The answer to all of this overwhelm and chaos is simple … you need a plan!
Listen, I know that many of you shy away from creating a strategic business plan. For some of you it’s simply a huge stumbling block. For others, you think having a plan makes you feel boxed in. In fact the very opposite is true.
When you do have a plan in place, you have a clear path to follow. And it changes your business and your life for the better.
Today, I’m going to share with you my top three simple steps so you can get your business on track in 2014:
1. Be clear on the purpose of your business; why you’re setting it up and what results your services will deliver for your clients. This is also known as creating your Big Picture Vision.
Your Big Picture Vision consists of two key questions that you have to think really hard about and answer.
- What is your PASSION?
- What is your WHY?
When you put these two answers together you create your Big Picture Vision, and this is the framework that you build your business around.
2. Get clear on your ideal client – be really specific on who that person is.Creating an ideal client profile is a big sticking point for many business owners. Without an ideal client profile marketing becomes hard, and your message becomes very general.
Many business owners are afraid to pick an ideal client profile for fear of limiting themselves in terms of not getting enough clients, but the opposite happens. When your marketing and your message are very general you don’t really attract anyone because they can’t relate to what you’re offering … it doesn’t talk to them specifically and address their concerns, their issues, and their problems.
The clearer you are in identifying your ideal client, the clearer your message will be, and the easier your marketing will be … and you will attract your ideal clients and more of them.
Because you are talking specifically to them, when they come across your website/see you at a speaking gig etc. they can immediately say, “that’s me!”.
3. Plan your activities in 90-day blocks of time. Ninety days are perfect for creating a really focused, action-oriented plan. It’s far enough ahead that you can create some long-term plans, but not so far ahead that you feel overwhelmed.
Your 90-day plans need to be specific and measureable, and identify who is going to do the work, if not you. Plans should be:
- Action oriented
- Have specific tasks
- Assigned deadlines
Follow these three simple steps, and you’ll soon get your business on track.
