Plan for Growth or Don’t Plan to Grow

In business, as in life, it is important to have a growth mindset. If you don’t have a plan for growth, you are getting left behind. Every day should start with a review of previous success and goal setting for improvement or expansion to be derived from that success. Goal setting is important. It is imperative to follow the three phases of goal setting to ensure success.

  1. Immediate or short term goals
  2. Intermediate goals and
  3. Long term goals.

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

You cannot hope tomorrow goes as well as today or better. Success is planned. If you are effective in your business, you must expect to grow. Having a plan for growth is the only way to be prepared and ready when it happens.

So, where do you start? Analyze your data. Look at your receipts. Who are your clients? What are their demographics? What are their needs? How can you make that group more profitable by expanding your current services? Set immediate goals to address them. Once you have analyzed your current clients, look at their circle of influence.

Developing Sociograms (social interaction maps) can help here.

If these clients tell others in their circle of influence about you, they become potential clients. Start planning now to meet their needs and promote toward that audience as well. These become short term goals. What staffing and/or resources will you need to meet an expanded client base? These become intermediate goals. They require more attention to detail due to being more costly and time consuming but worth the time. You can’t afford to play “catch-up” when new clients come knocking at your door. It will result in missed opportunities and possibly set you back. With the help of an easy and simple goal-setting process including evaluating and re-adjusting goals, you will keep a clearer vision to your goals. Plan and be prepared so you are continually moving forward.

One thing is certain, markets will change. Long term goals need to be established with change, as well as, growth in mind. The past year has taught us the importance of contingency plans. Expecting the unexpected and having plans in place ensures longevity in your business. Financial planning is key to keeping the lights on when sudden down-turns arise. You also need to plan for constant training. Changing times mean adding new skills, technologies, and environments. The market will never wait for you to adapt. Growth must be a constant. Success depends on you being able to expect growth, accept growth and build on growth.

A special offer available to all of my clients and affiliates is my FREE Business Growth Scorecard Assessment. This Assessment takes 3-5 minutes to complete and will give you a full analysis of how your business is really doing today.

To complete your FREE scorecard click here:
https://businessgrowth-jasonballard.scoreapp.com/

Contact Coach Jason Ballard to schedule a complimentary goal planning session.