Karen Skidmore's Kick-Ass Blog | CanDoCanBe

Business Plans Don't Work .. Without a Strong Business Vision

When you start up in business, one of the first things that you "should" do is to write a business plan.

But hands up who has felt dread or even panic at the thought of writing a 20 page document that starts with your mission statement an d synopsis, before finishing with detailed cashflow projections for the next 5 years?

And for those of you who have written a business plan, hands up who has filed it nicely in your top drawer of your filing cabinet, never to refer to it again?

Business plans, essential that they are, can just feel too "corporate".  When you have decided to work for yourself and set up a business from home, most business plan advice out there can be just too darn complicated.

(The worst business plan advice I ever saw was the recommendation of the number of pages to write.  The answer given was between 20 and 30 pages long!!)

Now, I am not for one minute recommending you just go out and start a business on a wing and a prayer - not unless you have money to lose and time to waste.  A business plan is essential in making sure you know exactly where you are now, where it is you are heading and how you are going to get there.

Just think of it as a journey planner for your holiday.  You wouldn't just turn up at the nearest airport hoping to catch a plane that will get somewhere near the villa that you have booked.  You would know exactly which flight you where on, what time you had to check in at and know how you were going to get from the airport to your luxury villa on that private island (OK - let me dream!)

But the problem with business plans is that too many of you feel overwhelmed by the process and often are a little daunted by those 20 page templates you can download from the internet.

So, if this is you, don't do a business plan.  Spend the time on creating a strong business vision.

A strong business vision is far more valuable to you as a home business owner than a document sitting in your top drawer.  A strong business vision will give you the desire, the inspiration and the determination to get you to where you want to be.

How do you create a strong business vision?  Here are some simple steps you can take.

1.  Describe your ideal working week.  If you could wake up on a Monday morning and know that you have the ideal week ahead of you, what would that week look, feel and sound like.  Who would you be working with?  Where would you be going?  What hours would you be working? And the list of questions can go.

2.  Where will you be in 12 months time?  Following on from this ideal week scenario, write down some of the specifics that relate to your dream.  For example: the number of hours you will be working, the number of clients you would be working with, the amount of money/turnover/profit that you will be creating.  The more specific you can be with this, the easier it will be to turn these simple thoughts in to goals.

3.  Create a SMART goal.  OK, goals may sound scary to some of you but they aren't if they are truly of your own making.  Goals are simply specific dreams to aim for.  And if you can create a SMART goal you will be on your way to creating a strong business vision.  (A SMART goal means that the goal is specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and to a timescale.)

4.  Make your goal visible.  Decide whether you can relate to images, words, numbers or sounds better.  Which ever format you prefer, choose this medium to display your goal.  For many of you, images and pictures work the best.  Most entrepreneurs (yes, I know you think you aren't one, but you are starting up and growing your own business, aren't you?!) are visual people, so think more powerfully in images.  Find a photo, magazine picture or lots of images if you prefer that represent your SMART goal and put them up in your office so you can see them everyday.

5.  Start to live and breathe your goal.  Close your eyes and imagine how it would really feel when you are achieving your goal.  What sounds do you hear?  What emotions do you feel?  The more in tune you are with your goal, the stronger your business vision will be and the more likely you will do whatever it takes to get you there.

6.  Not working?  Then get the right vision.  Some of you out there may go through these steps and not feel the connection, the drive nor the desire to make your business work.  You may still feel a lack of confidence or even find yourself making lots of excuses.  It's OK, you know.  It's only because you haven't given yourself the opportunity to find your real and true vision.

To share my personal story, step 6 was where I found myself in January and February this year.  It was the first year in 4 years that I started a New Year without a vision.  I felt lost and a little like a hamster in a wheel.  But I got through it and my vision is once again clear as crystal.  The path to get me there suddenly lit up with floodlights.

And it can happen to you too.  Just make sure you spend the time to create your strong business vision!

What are your thoughts?  Agree, disagree, got more ideas? Add your comments below.

Why did you start up in business?

Every one has their own personal story as to why they are now self-employed and running their own business.  Reasons vary from wanting a flexible career to fit around school holidays or a partner’s career to wanting to be your own boss so you can make up the rules.

But what ever your original reason is, how true is your business to that reason?

When business gets tough – your sales take a tumble, your refunds may go up because of a faulty product – things feel a little shaky.  You could end up taking on more projects than you can physically juggle in a week.  Stress levels can rise and you end up working more hours than ever before but for less money.

This wasn’t why you went in to business, was it?

Keep your reason for starting up in business fresh in your mind at all times – it will help you make the right business decisions, keep you focused on the right projects and keep you motivated to stay on track.

 

Can you help me to 300 comments?

A big thank you to everyone who reads this blog.  And a special thank you to those who contribute and leave a comment.

At the time of posting, Kick-Ass Blog has reached a grand total of 278 comments – which I must admit to being pretty chuffed about.

Your comments help make this blog full of practical and (what I would call) “real-life” tips and advice.  And the more received, the more inspired I am to write more articles.

Could you help me with a small something though?

It would be absolutely fabulous to reach 300 before the end of the month.  And when we do, I promise to post a small thank you from my collection of teleforum recordings on the blog.

So go on – leave your tips or thoughts on the article you are reading

4 Ways of Being a Confident and Powerful Networker

It's one thing being a networker, but entirely different if you are a not-worker.

It can be very easy to find yourself attending one networking event after another and wonder why you are there and what it is you are trying to achieve.  I can remember several weeks of networking where I managed to have several lunches, a few evening events topped off with a virtual online session.

(The one time of day I can't network - and to be honest don't like to network - is breakfast.  Too busy doing the school run and until I have had a couple of cups of tea, I can't verbalise sensibly anyway!!)

Too much networking without much of a thought of what, why, when and where and all you can achieve is a drain in your cashflow and no time in the office to catch up with all that client work you should have done last week.

So how can you ensure your networking is productive?

How can you make your networking confident and powerful?

There are many ways but the four main strategies that I work to are as follows:

1.  Network with a goal.  If you have a purpose in mind, you will be likely to pick up on clues to help you get there.  And your goal does not always have to be "find 3 new clients".  In fact some of your best client generation networking is usually when you are not focusing on that particular goal.

Other networking goals can be to find 3 recommendations for an accountant; to get to speak to someone who works in a particular industry so you can pick their brains over a cup of coffee; or even as social as asking around for anyone who has a villa in Spain they would like to rent out in August (any offers?)

2.  Be focused but open minded.  Yes, it is important to have a goal in mind and to keep your networking strategy focused around this.  But do keep an open mind when considering different networking events, speaking to different people and exploring online communities.  Other doors may open for you and opportunities present themselves if you let them appear.

3.  Follow up - ALWAYS!  I must admit to have been up and down with this and it is only recently that I realised I had let this slide.  Don't give an initial meeting the opportunity to fizzle out and disappear.  Networking is about building relationships and if you have exchanged business cards it is only polite to drop them an email within 24 hours of meeting them. No sales pitch, mind! Just a follow up to encourage the relationship to develop.

4.  Know that networking is like a pregnancy - it can take 9 months for you to see results!  Networking is not a quick fix marketing strategy.  Attend 3 meetings and then sulk because not one person called you to enquire about your services.  Networking takes time. You are building relationships and it is important to allow people to develop trust and confidence in you.

If you are just starting up, will you still be in business in 6 months time?  If you have been in business for a while, will you disappear again once your workload goes on the up? 

Take the time to build your reputation and you will reap the rewards for many years to come.

If you have another confident and powerful networking strategy that you would like to share, please share them by adding a comment below.

An 8 day week and a flexible half a person.

When someone kindly subscribes to my newsletter, they receive a welcome email where I ask if there would be any useful articles that they would like to receive in a forthcoming edition.

Today I received the best answer ever.  My thanks goes to Karen at Griffin Designs for giving me permission to publish it today.

Thanks for your welcome email, Karen.

“My answer to your question would be the same as to our Vicar recently when he asked me what I wanted for my birthday - an 8 day week!

Or perhaps, how to employ that extra 1/2 person you needed last week but don't need this week.

That is truly the conundrum for a homeworker whose kids are currently off school, and on top of that can only squeeze in 2 working days next week cos the two different schools have two different inset days and on top of that the sadistic teachers are on strike for a completely different day . . . . the stress of it all!

Only joking!  Karen
www.GriffinDesigns.co.uk”

Need to check your website links quickly and easily?

Then try out this quick and easy link checker at http://validator.w3.org/checklink.

Found this on Nikki Pilkington's blog 299 Step to Website Heaven.  Particularly useful for checking your blog because if you have a blog for more than a year, you will have certainly built up a huge number of links.

Be careful who you tell your goals to - they may come true!

Goal setting is an important part of running a home business.  And one of the “secrets” to goal setting is telling people.

There are many people who believe that you should never share your aspirations and dreams and yes, it is true that you have to be careful who it is you are sharing them with.  But goals are rarely achieved by yourself alone.

Goals are usually a team effort that requires several people’s input to help you to success – and this is why I believe you should tell people about your goals.

Running the London Marathon has always been a personal life goal for me but as I approach my 40th birthday next year, I know that it had better hurry up and be achieved.

My husband knows about my dream and after watching the marathon runners this Sunday, I applied online for a ballot place.  Things have moved on and I have just had an email from my husband to tell me that I have been given a Golden Bond place so one way or another, I am in!

So, be careful who you tell your goals – they may come true!

Confident Networking - Follow Up At All Times

Networking can be such a successful marketing strategy for a home business, but when done half-cut it can be more of a case of not-working rather than networking.

Following up on the people you met and business cards you exchanged is critical to starting the relationship building process. 

It’s all very well collecting business cards and shoving them in to a rolodex on your desk thinking you have a great network of contacts, but if you relationship hasn’t gone further than that initial handshake and first conversation, it is unlikely the person will be an advocate/client/contact for you in the future – they just may not remember you!

With everyone you meet, follow up with an email – preferably within 24 hours.

“Hi Jo. It was great to meet you at ABC lunch yesterday.  I really enjoyed our discussion on XYZ and liked the approach of your business.  I will certainly pass on your contact details to anyone who may need your services.  By the way, if you or anyone in your network needs help with 123, then do pass them my web address.  Look forward to seeing you sometime in the future, Warm regards Alex”

Leave any “selling” out, include a link in your email signature to a particular product if appropriate and that’s about it.  How hard is that?

Want to know how to get your website found on Google?

Then join me this Thursday for a special 90 minute telephone workshop where I will be sharing my tips, tricks and techniques to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

SEO is not something that you spend every other Tuesday afternoon doing.  It isn’t a to-do-list item that you tick off once a month.

Once you understand how the internet works and, more importantly, how your customers use the internet, you can easily incorporate SEO in to every day aspects of running your own business.

It really isn’t as technical and geeky as many SEO experts make out

Click here for more details:  www.Kick-AssTeleForums.com/SEOMadeEasy.php

 

Have your own hosting account for your website

When you starting up your business and planning your website marketing, it is so important to be able to be in control of your website(s).

The reason for this is it allows you to take full responsibility for your website and make sure it works for you – attracting clients and customers rather than sitting in hyperspace looking pretty.

One of the things that you can do to take the right steps to being in control of your website is to set up your own web hosting, rather than pay for your website developer to host it for you.

This may sound scary and technical but it is very simple.  The one I use is www.1and1.co.uk – a UK based hosting service (important if you are focusing your marketing at a UK audience) which has fantastic telephone support. 

Have a look at the various packages and check with your website designer whether you need a Linux package or a Windows package (it will depend on which database your website is being built on). 

Once you have your own hosting account, you can take charge of updating your content, moving web designers and adding more websites.  It may cost a few more pounds a month to host it yourself, but it is certainly worth it.