Are You In The Driver's Seat Of Your Business?

This week I’m away on a personal and business retreat in the mountains. I love taking time for myself to reflect, rethink, and renew my commitment to my business without all the normal hustle and bustle of life all around me. I’m a planner by nature. I like knowing where I’m going, when I need to do certain things (generally speaking), and how I’m going to make those things happen. But I also like to have options. I like to be in the driver’s seat, so to speak.

As a business owner, planning for your business is vital to your overall success, and being nearly halfway through year, it’s a perfect time to do a little sanity check to see where you are with your goals, formulate a plan for the second half of the year, and recommit to your business. 

Strategic planning is a task that’s easy to leave until the end of the year, but I want to challenge you to pause and take stock. Having a strategic plan for your business with regular check-ins is like being the driver behind the wheel. You’re in control of the pace your business is growing, where you’re planning to go, and how you get there. There’s some serious power in that. 

Too often, though, business owners are flying by the seat of their pants – effectively sitting in the passenger seat – because planning can seem like a big undertaking. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “It takes just as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” And I don’t know about you, but I didn’t leave corporate life to wing it on a wish and a prayer.

Building your plan and checking in regularly doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, I want to share my process for easy strategic planning. 

Focus on the big picture
Strategic planning begins with recommitting to your business. That’s why I like to start by revisiting my vision, mission, and values. When I know what I’m trying to create in the world – and why – I feel connected and can recommit to the path I’ve set for myself. As the driver of your business, your vision is the destination on your roadmap. It’s your North Star, and every decision you make should be one designed to get you closer to the goal.

Your mission is the core of your business. It’s what you do, who you serve, and how you serve that audience. Your values are they way in which you do that, and the connection you establish with others. These 3 pieces function like the climate control in your car, shaping the form, function, and feel of the entire journey.

4 Questions
After recommitting to the big picture, I deep dive into the answers to 4 questions.

1. Who are you serving?
2. What problem do you solve?
3. What is your business model and will it allow you to meet your financial goals?
4. What makes you unique?

The answers to these 4 questions will continue to shape the details of your business. When you intimately know WHO you’re serving, WHAT their biggest problem is, and HOW you help them solve it, your ability to connect, market, and create offers becomes that much more compelling. You business model is all about the capacity and volume. Over the years, I’ve switched up my business model from offering lots of little things to two very focused ways I serve clients. It’s simplified my business and makes the how of meeting my financial goals that much clearer. Your uniqueness – your story – is WHY people will choose to work with you. Don’t be afraid to own it and customize the details!

Build your plan
Given all the above, what are 1-3 goals for the quarter (3-5 for the year). This should include a revenue goal as well as other things you want to accomplish in your business. You should also factor in how you’ll market your business, including the handful of promotional events you’ll be doing that quarter (year) to help you meet those revenue goals.

Take Action
I’m not sure who said it but “a plan without action is just a wish!” You have to get behind the wheel, turn on the car, and drive. And your 30-60-90 day action plan gives you a detailed roadmap – much like Google maps tells you exactly how to get there – of the path you’ll be taking. It’s also where you anticipate obstacles and develop contingency plans, so you don’t get derailed. Getting down into the details actually gives you an incredible amount of freedom because you also know your options… which makes the casual detour less stressful and more enjoyable.

Belief
Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to do a check-in with yourself and the level of belief you have in your business. Business building is tough, especially when it feels like you’re not making money or having difficulty finding clients. Often, the journey is long and bumpy before you get where you’re trying to go. And that’s where a concept I call Strength of Will – a trifecta of Commitment, Discipline, and Perseverance - comes in.

Commitment is the willingness to do whatever is required. For me, commitment is a binding agreement between my heart, mind, and emotions, and it’s that alignment that propels me forward toward my purpose of helping women build profitable businesses, on their terms, on a daily basis.

Discipline is the will to say no to anything that is off the path, that shifts your focus, time, energy, and attention away from what you’re trying to create. There’s no room for distraction.

Perseverance is the desire and willingness to stay on the path for as long as it takes.

Those three elements are rooted in deep belief. Belief that what you want is possible. That you have what it takes to bring it to life. That there are people who need your services. That what you ultimately want is inevitable. That with enough try-hard and determination, you can get what you want.

Having a robust strategy and the tactics to get there is part of your competitive advantage as a business owner and makes the road trip fun!