How To Keep Your Business Moving Forward

Imagine visiting your doctor. After an eternity of waiting and reading three month old magazines in the waiting room, you’re finally escorted into an even smaller examination room. After waiting some more, the good doctor walks in and asks you why you’re there.

You say why. He examines you, smiles, and wishes you a good day. He exits and you’re left with a bill to pay.

What’s wrong here?
Obviously what’s missing is the part where the good doctor diagnoses your ailment and provides you a treatment plan. Can you imagine a doctor actually running a practice this way? He’d not be in business very long.

Why your business isn’t any better off.
Now let’s look at your business. What’s on your treatment plan for today? Huh? What are you talking about, Barry?

No, I’m not really talking about a treatment plan, but the business version of one. Call it an action plan, a to do list, a task list, whatever. Without one, your business isn’t any better off than the patient who walks out of his doctor’s office without a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Neither is in a position to move forward.

Even busy businesses need direction
Every business owner knows that without clear direction, they stagnate. Your business doesn’t run by itself in most cases. Especially if you’re new in business or just getting established. You need a plan for daily action. Even those businesses who have a a good deal of clients still need to work ‘on their business.’ Just because you’re currently in ‘feast mode’ doesn’t exempt you from paying close attention to what your business needs.

Physician, heal thyself
At the moment, I’m busy. I’m busy with clients, busy with Protege, and busy with keeping Justin entertained during his summer break from school. But each morning, I devote two hours to working on my business. It might be a website update, an article for publication online or off, or a planning session.

Yesterday I spent an hour in The Aptos Coffee Roasting Company (sans laptop) and sipped a cup of Sweet Italian while I mulled over the mind map for my consulting site ProCaseStudies.

The secret to moving forward…
It’s really no secret. A little bit of action every day will do wonders for your business. But in order to move forward, you need a plan. A plan can be a complex, spiral bound business plan (insert personal ‘yuk’) or a note on a napkin. The form doesn’t matter; the intent does. Each day I do something to move my business forward. I urge you to do the same.

…is walking backwards.

For starters, consider Stephen Covey’s famed approach of beginning with the end. Think about where you’d like your business to be in five years, one year, or even six months. Write a description of your vision for the next six months.

• How much revenue will you generate?
  
• How much time will you take off for holiday or vacation?
  
• What will generate the revenue?
  
• Based on your current rate structure, how many clients or projects will that involve?
  
• What’s the best way to make this a reality?

Backwards planning has always been beneficial for me. It allows me to work backwards beginning with the desired outcome and planning backward the tasks and strategies that will get me there.

Need to write a book or create a product? Begin with the sales page first and then work backwards to create it according the specifications you set in the sales page. It works; it’s how I created Becoming Irresistible.

How about you?
A Business Treatment Plan is always a good idea. What’s yours look like?

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