Writing your business plan is not the same as writing your grocery listPosted by Nicole CoyneOn March 30, 2017

When you have to do the monthly grocery shop you normal jot down the list of items needed prior to heading off to the store. When you take a message for someone in your office you generally write it down and when you are planning a party you make a list and plan of everything you need and who you will be inviting. You do this so you won’t forget and very importantly that you can refer back to your original thoughts not leaving anything out.

List writing is an excellent habit to have for sticking to a grocery budget or not forgetting to send cousin George a party invitation. List writing however is not how you build a business plan.

Over the past couple of days I’ve spoken with a number of people who have admitted that they haven’t documented their business strategic plans or documented monthly or weekly goals.

Many of them said that they do have a to-do list, which you could say is better than nothing, but the reality of the situation is is that a list is not a plan and your business plan should not be treated like a shopping list.  Big difference!

A to-do list is an unending selection of “stuff”. You tend to keep adding to this list as the days and weeks go on and sometimes when you get to review the list starting from point one you cannot actually recall the reason for why the point had been added in the first place, and it gets removed or left to live another list-hogging day. New points on the list can be added randomly, because they sound good at the time. However how often do these points add value to your original goal?

Lists get lost and get started and ended on different apps, pieces of paper and notebooks. Does this sound familiar?

The biggest difference and benefit about drafting a strategic business plan and then breaking the plan up into bite size pieces and documenting daily, weekly and monthly goals, is that you can be assured that everything you are doing is working towards an end goal.

A strategic plan is just that, strategic.

Your micro goals key into your short term goals, which key into your medium goals which in turn key into your long term goals.

The following points may assist you:

1) Throw your collection of to-do lists away!

2) Dedicate some time to drawing up a precise business strategic plan. You may call on a business coach or mentor to assist you with this process.

3) Invest in a diary – online or paper whichever takes your fancy

4) Be disciplined! What you document in your diary should be actions or activities, which come directly from your main plan. These actions should follow the trusty SMARTER model. (Specific, Measurable, Actioned, Realistic, Timed, Ethical and Resources)

5) Recap on your plan every week and ever quarter review your business plan. This ensures that you are on track and moving towards the end goal in timely fashion.  By having to go back on regular basis it ensures that your plan doesn’t land up in file 13.

 6) Lastly, don’t forget to throw your to-do lists away and do not be tempted to start a new one.

This saves you time and money and keeps you moving forward and very importantly keeps you on track.

Need some assistance with drafting your business plan? Contact Nicole [email protected]