“Are business plans a waste of time?”, “Are business plans a waste of money?” – we´ve heard it all and our answer is always the same: absolutely not.
If you have spent ages thinking and writing a business plan only to have nothing really happen, you´re not alone. So many people experience the same issue, whether in their personal or professional life, and that´s because a plan isn´t always everything. You have to actually act! If you are yet to see a return on your investment when it comes to business planning, it is because you are missing two things. Here is the antidote to “plan failure”.
External support
Whether it´s losing weight, earning that super profit, or having 10 weeks of holiday each year, most people don´t achieve their plans. Why? Because they don´t seek external help. (Just think about all those New Year´s resolutions that are going to die off in February and March!).
You might not believe me, but let me ask you this: why aren´t you a gazillionaire already? You know how to run your business and provide a great service to your clients; you know the basics of price markups and profit margins and marketing, so what´s holding you back? As we said, every business owner needs an external advisor. Someone who can see the bigger picture, someone who can help create realistic yet stretch targets. Someone who has done this enough times that it will take you a lot less time to create and action such a plan. And as we all know, time is money.
If you could have done it by yourself by now then you already would have. That you haven’t just goes to show that you (like 99% of people) need external help to make it happen.
Accountability
Once you have a business plan, now what? After creating a business plan that is actually attainable, you have to now deliver the improvements you want by doing what you planned to do. This is where most people fall down: actioning what they know they need to.
Quite often, a big part of actioning a plan is being held accountable for what you do and don´t do. And this is where an external expert is invaluable. Not only will they help you move forward with your goals, but they can also help you prioritise what tasks are important and what can be delegated.
We are all guilty of spending too much time on time-wasting or unimportant activities, whether we know it or not, and an external person is better able to identify what these are and call you out on them. That person being a business coach, mentor, or a fantastic team of accountants (err, i.e. me and the team at JVCA!).
Want to actually get results from your business plan?
If you´ve made a New Year´s Resolution or a business plan in the past and not achieved it – then it´s time to get that help and support that means you can actually improve and reach your goals.
We can help you in many practical ways. Whether you want to book a place in our business planning workshop (details below) or you´d rather book a one-on-one meeting with us, we will help you create a business plan that turns your goals into actionable steps.
Get in touch today to move your business forward!
Ready to do some business planning?
Set yourself up for success by business planning for 2023! Join our Business Planning Workshop on the 19th of January to create a solid business plan for the year ahead.
