The possibilities are endless
At the beginning of this series, I said that growing your business can be like cooking up a good bar of soap. I hope you now see just what I meant. A simple business plan, your base, is really the first step to growing those fabulous businesses you’ve all so courageously started. Identifying the various elements we discussed in those plans will help build the foundation for your business to thrive. Then, building on top of those business plans with values and vision will give your business that ‘special mix of ingredients’ which make it unique. And the goals you set, and achieve, will continue to mold and give shape to your company for many years to come.
Growing your business, just like making soaps, is an enjoyable and rewarding process. What you want the outcome to be is completely up to you. And once you get started on these easy-to-do steps, you’ll find that the possibilities for growing your business even further are wonderfully endless, and quite frankly, an awful lot of fun!
Putting it all together with one last day of homework: You’ve done all the work already. Now is the time to arrange it in a coherent format by typing and ordering the last 8 days of homework. Arrange it like this:
Market analysis (the research you did on day one)
Ideal Customer Profile
SWOT
Unique Value Proposition
Your Values
Your Vision Statement
5 Goals for the Year
Your dream Advisory Board
Type it all up. Put it in a notebook and title it “Business Plan for XyZ Company, 2009.” If you ever need to go for a bank loan, all you’ll need to add is historical and projected financials and you’ve got everything you need to present. More importantly, you now have your roadmap for turning your business into what you want and need it to be.
I hope you enjoyed this series and found value in it. The entire series, complete with links to individual days, is below.
Part 1 – Defining Your Business
Part 5 – Using Your Vision To Inspire
Part 7 – Put Your Goals To Action
Part 8 – Surround Yourself Well
Excellent series. I hope you don’t mind but I’ve featured your 8 steps on my blog in hopes that my readers will come to your blog and be inspired to follow your lead.
Good eye Grace. I’ve fixed that! =)
I see numbers 1-7 and then 9.
Where’s number 8?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Thanks and well done.
I am sorry I have misse the last lessons but i have been at disney on vacation,my brother in law is gonna get married tomorrow too,so I have been enjoying the break,but monday i will be back to my lessons…
Anne-Marie,
This has to be one of the best, most straight forward ways of helping any small business owner get a grip on all the facets of developing their business plan/model. Very insightful. Definitely gave me some homework!
And yes, the blog entry about Teabowls is coming !!!
This series has been wonderful. The help and guidance you have given is invaluable. Thank you.
I most definitely have enjoyed this series. Most importantly, I have implemented a system of goals, plans, and rock solid values that I now recognize that will keep me on track. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this series! I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve gotten all my thoughts together, and made my first trip to Otion yesterday! Now I can not only continue with my goals every day, but experiment too! It was worth the drive, and I got to smell scents I wouldn’t of ordered because of not being sure what they smelled like.
I’m grateful! This series has really given me the motivation I needed to take action.
Anne Marie,
Thank you again. I know it takes time out from your very busy life.
I actually looked on the Mastermind blog today. It was quite enlightening. I also read your posts especially about the criteria for the MM group.
I am currently considering whether I have the leadership skills to host such a group, and what the benefits would be. I don’t know.
Another lady and I (she a budding financial planner) have discussed getting together and doing a business book club and adding members. I do believe the person who spearheads it should be a mover and a shaker. My altar ego is but……
Anyways, I made a cold call yesterday, and I listened to words coming out of my mouth. I did not have make up on, I did not have my business cards, and I was not dressed like a business woman,,,,just a mom.
But the lady I approached in her brand new store was so nice and we talked for upwards of one hour. She directed me to see her son next Monday with product samples.
Alas, I am still trying to figure out this wacked out website, my business plan is half baked but I would say at about 65-70 percent completion, I still have design and packaging issues. And, I am not quite certain which formula to use for cost/wholesale/retail! But we will figure it out as we go!
But I will make samples and put on my business clothes and go present my current product offerings and hopefully be well on my way to having an established vendor/retail relationship. Thus, meeting a measured goal to place my products in 7 retail locations in this calendar year! Yay!
Just wanted to share the thankfulness and some positive feedback on all your hard work, and I am looking forward with great anticipation to see your Spring Line fragrances offering! I emailed your customer service some time back about it as I was putting together a proposal for fundraising.
Ok, if I don’t stop now, it will be a book!