1. Where is my business right now? – Not your address. Write down and date all of the things that make up your business including processes, systems within your business, results, numbers, etc. Make it detailed. It could be two or three pages long or even longer depending on the size and how detailed you get. While going through each aspect of your business, make notes about what could be improved.
2. Where is my business going? – Businesses have different goals… no, it’s true. They really do have different goals. Make your goals specific even if it is the basic “make more money” goal. Here’s the trick though, make it realistic but hard to get to. Your goal might be number of customers served, branches opened, etc. Whatever it is, write something specific down for 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years and keep it somewhere to check on at the proper time.
3. How is your business going to get there? – Obviously just writing it all down is not enough. You need a specific plan on how you are going to reach these goals. Do you need to pull in more customers? Maybe marketing is the key. Do you need more repeat customers? Uh, oh, that means you need to adjust your service or product somehow. Maybe it’s a matter of raising your prices. Maybe it’s a matter of actually lowering them to undercut the competition and win their customers. Do the math and figure out what you need to meet these goals, and then actively pursue different methods of meeting them.
It doesn’t sound like much but business people have been using these simple steps for decades and seeing better results because it forces you and anyone in the business you care to share these ideas with, to keep the bigger picture in mind and to continue to push for better results.