Do You Have A Plan For Your Small Business?

Many small business owners are so busy running their business they rarely have time to sit down and make a plan.

Take some time out today to consider the future of your business.

What do you want to achieve within the next year in your business?

What do you want to achieve within the next five years in your business?

After my business mission, my short and long term plan always feature next in my marketing plan.

I’d always recommend creating your marketing plan in editable format as it should be a working document that will change and grow as your business does.

Before moving on, check your short and long term plans tie in with your overall business mission. One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make is having an incongruent marketing plan. When I talk about congruency in marketing, I mean that everything fits together and makes sense – so the short and long term plan fits with the business mission, the branding is in keeping with your marketing message etc.

Business Aims & Objectives

Your business aims are broad statements of desired outcomes, they should fit in with the short term plan you just set for your business.

Your business objectives are the specific steps you need to take to achieve those aims.

Business Aims

I usually work from the business mission and short term plan to create a list of around half a dozen aims. You can begin creating your list now, remember this will be a working list, be ready to change or adapt if required.

Business Objectives

Working from your business aims, you should now create a list of tasks that you need to undertake to achieve those aims.

You can keep adding and editing this list as you develop your marketing plan.