Karen Skidmore's Kick-Ass Blog | CanDoCanBe

Writing a Marketing Plan for Your Small Business: The 3 questions you must answer

Whether you are just starting up your own business from home or have been working for yourself for several years, a clear marketing plan is essential to not only show you what you should be doing to attract clients to your business, but also to keep you on track.

A marketing plan is really quite a simple document to produce.

There are far too many complicated templates that can be downloaded off the internet or got from a business book.  And when you feel you may to produce a 20 page document it can be the fastest way to put off the whole planning process.

There are only 3 questions that you need to answer in your marketing plan and they are:

1.  Where are you now?

2.  where are you going?

3.  How are you going to get there?

And they need to be in this order.

Too many people jump in to the “how are you going get there” question and get bogged down with marketing strategies and tools that, frankly, may not help you bit.

Start with the easiest question of all “where are you now?”. Not only will this help build your confidence up (after all, you should know the answer to this question without much thinking!), it will give you a baseline from where to start building.

The second question “where are you going?” is designed to focus you on targets and goals.  Where do you want to be this time next year?  How many clients do you want to managing?  How many hours do you want to be working? How much money do you want to be creating?

Your destination needs to specific.  It needs to be something that you can measure.  It’s got to have a timescales.  And it’s got to be realistic and something that you know is achievable. (Yup, you’ve guessed it - it has to a SMART goal!).

Once you have your SMART desination, you will find it far easier to answer the third and final question “How are you going to get there?”.

So forget about mission statements and synopsises.  Get to the basics and focus on what’s going to work for you on a day-to-day basis.

Business Plans are bad for small businesses

Most small businesses have business plans that are just not doing them any favours.  In fact I would go as far as saying that most small businesses have business plans that are only holding them back.  Their business plans are actually bad for them.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying that business planning is bad for business.

Business planning is essential for the success of you and your small business.

But when it comes the actual act of writing a business plan, most small businesses start with a template downloaded from the internet which usually creates a document of at least 10 to 20 pages.  All the pretty boxes are filled out, the cashflow spreadsheet is completed and the answers to the questions such as "What is your USP?" are answered.

What happens to this 20 page document?

Yup, that's right. In fact I know you know which drawer in your filing cabinet I am talking about here, don't you?

What use is a 20 page business plan that just sits and gathers dust.  That sort of business is really bad for business.

A business plan that is going to get you moving forward is a working document.  It needs to be something that you use each and every day to help you decide what you should be doing each and every day.

A mission statement and general synopsis is all very business-like but it's the actual day-to-day actions you need to be clear on to help you with your marketing and promoting.

So what sort of business plan is great for a small business?

Your business plan should be no longer than a single sheet of A4.  It should answer the 3 questions "Where are you now?", "Where do you want to be?" and "How are you going to get?"

There should be no corporate BS, no unnecessary long-words - just focused SMART goals and a list of bullet points outlining your planned daily, weekly and monthly actions.

Want some 1-2-1 help simplifying your business plan?  Then get in touch and we can arrange an initial phone consultation.  www.CanDoCanBe.com/businesscoaching

Reviewing & monitoring your marketing is boring, right?

Everyone always seem hungry for new ideas on how to attract clients do their business, don't they?  They want to know the latest web-tool to use, the next social networking site, the new way of reaching out to a new target audience.

But how many of you take the time to step back and review what you have done already?

I know reviewing and monitoring can often be viewed as the boring bit.  The annoying admin that needs ticking off.

But it's got to be done!

There is no point going out and discovering the latest and newest (is there such a word!!) way of attracting clients if you haven't taken the time to work out what is working for you now.

Even this is just a monthly exercise.  A couple of hours on the last Friday of every month where you check your web stats and the number of subscribers to your blog or newsletter.

Even if you just have a piece of paper stuck to your desk where you scribble down how your new clients and customers get to hear about you.

You don't have to have complicated systems - a basic excel spreadsheet or form to be filled out by hand will keep you on track and help you work out what is working (do more of!) and what is not (stop doing and try something different).

Now, which day did I say I was going to do this myself this month?!!!

Your email could be your biggest time waster

Email, now viewed as an essential communication tool, was not even around for most of us 10 years ago.  And yet, it can suck up hours of our time each and every day.

There are some people out there who claim they can live without it.  I was reading an article about Dawn French over the weekend and she confessed to having never, ever sent an email!

However, most of us who run our own businesses, find that much of our business communication happens via email.  And this is where time management issues can drastically go wrong.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been experiementing with shutting down my outlook for most the day and only opening it when I have scheduled the time to reply, delete and action the emails that come in.

It has made a massive difference to my productivity - focusing on acting on emails rather than scrolling through a big long list of "stuff to do".

I'm not sure I could be as disciplined as Tim Ferris claims to be in his 4 hour Working Week, but closing down outlook after a 30 minute email session feels incredibly self-satisfying and gets me back on track on my "real" work.

Want to give it a go, too?  Let me know how you control the email monster :)

Motivation is far higher when you have a target to aim at

I know, I know – when the phrase “business plan” is mentioned most of us groan internally.  But having a plan really, really does keep your motivation up high.

Some of you may know I like to run to keep fit, but I was starting to lose focus before the summer holidays.  My husband suggested (oh, foolish him!) that I join him on London’s Run to the Beat this October. 

“A half marathon”, I thought.  “Perfect goal to go for.”

Well, it’s only 3 weeks away and I have my running plan laid out & written in my diary.

I had a run scheduled this afternoon at 1.30pm.  At 1pm today, I didn’t feel like it. I wanted another cup of tea & chocolate hobnob.

But I knew if I didn’t run this afternoon, my next chance of a big run wasn’t until Monday and then I would be behind schedule. So on went the running shoes & I ended up having a great run (albeit a dash back through a torrential hail storm in the last 10 minutes!!).

So my point is this – without my half-marathon commitment I would have probably not run today.  Without my plan, my big picture, my focus – I wouldn't have achieved what I achieved this afternoon.

What plan, big picture, focus can you create to help motivate you to move forward?

Think Big - Act Small

One of the problems of being your own boss is that you haven’t got a boss to keep you on the straight and narrow!  Now, don’t get me wrong – I wouldn’t go back to PAYE world given the choice.  But when you run your own business it can be hard to keep the motivation going each and every day.

Yesterday, I just couldn’t get my act together.  I faffed about, checked my emails (but didn’t reply!), cruised around a few web links and twittered on twitter.

By 12noon, enough was enough. I had to get my focus on the week and get certain projects moving forward.

How?  By thinking big and acting small.

In 10 minutes, I had reminded myself what my big picture was, what my goals where and what parts of my business needed work on before writing down everything I needed to achieve before the end of the week.

Not a big to-do-list consisting of an unrealistic number of tasks but simple, small actions that would all help me move towards my big picture.

2 days later and I have crossed off 4 things from my list of 10 actions.  My week is now rocking along fast and furiously.

How about you try it, too?  Let me know if thinking big and acting small works for you – leave a comment below.

How to Get Motivated and Back into Business

Whether you have been on holiday or not over the past few weeks, there is no doubt that the majority of the UK population has been. Most people have been kicking back and enjoying some well deserved time off.

But it's now September, and it can be one of the busiest times of the year. I find September is by far the most productive month in my business and it is not the month for me to be reactive!

First of all, let's deal with the idea that some of you may feel a lack of motivation when going back to work. If you were still in PAYE world, then yes, I could quite easily see a huge motivation problem when faced with sitting behind a desk doing a job that didn't mean that much to you.

But when you run your own business, is it really a lack of motivation that gets to you at this time of year?

I think not. The only reason you would have a lack of motivation is because you don't know what you should be doing first.

You have no plan of attack.

It's too easy to wade through hundreds of emails that have been stacking up in your inbox. Perhaps you have lots of paperwork and invoices to send out or sort out.

These are just excuses not to get on with the real work at hand: The act of moving and shaking your business so that you go out and get new clients, re-activate past clients and push ahead with your projects, products and programmes.

But if you have no plan of attack, then it's not surprising that all your good intentions are just left by the wayside. It's not surprising that you will find yourself at the end of September having drifted along, not having attracted any new clients.

So, before you let yourself drift through September and allow your competitors to be one step ahead of you, follow these simple steps.

Step One. Get the "Big Picture" clearly in your head. Where do you see your business in 2 years time? What do you want to be known for in your industry? What is it that you want to create before the next Olympics in 2012?

Step Two: Milestone your journey. Your "Big Picture" is your overall vision. It's your long term plan. However, many people feel failure even before they have begun the journey because they have not been able to chunk their vision down. Good milestones to have are 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 2 years.

Step Three: SMARTen up your milestones. Classic goal setting tips here! Make sure each milestone is SMART. SMART means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timescale. If each of your milestones can be each of these, then you have a great goal that is easier to achieve.

Step Four: Create your 3 month milestone action plan. By focusing now on just your 3 month milestone (rather than your "Big Picture") you should find it far easier deciding what to actually do over the coming weeks. Remember though, this isn't a to-do-list (that's for your daily brain dumps). I recommend no more than 3 daily, 3 weekly and 3 monthly actions because this is will ensure your plan of attack is simple and easy to follow (and will also allow you to manage other parts of your life so you are not working 24/7!).

Follow these 4 steps and there will be no question of a lack of motivation because you will now know exactly what you need to do move your business forward.

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This article has just been featured in the latest  CanDoCanBe Attitude.  To receive your free “Practical, No-Nonsense Newsletter for Home Business Owners” click here to sign up today.

Feeling overwhelmed and don't know what to do?

Whether you are in the very early stages of starting a new business or have been going for many years and have begun to want to move your business forward a notch or two, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

I know as it is an emotion that I often feel myself – I call it my “rabbit in headlights” look!

It’s important to keep everything as simple as possible during these times.  Start with the end in mind and when you have decided what your “big picture” is, then break this down in to smaller time chunks, for example 3 months, 6 months and 9 months.

Think of it as creating a time line of events and these can become your shorter term goals.  Once you are clear on your 3 month goal, now is the time to brainstorm and come up with a list of simple steps to take and activities to do that will take you on your journey.

Mental Space is Critical for Success

When you are self-employed and run your own business from home, it is very easy to find yourself busy – ALL of the time.

When you aren’t answering the phone or replying to emails, you are speaking to clients, going to meetings and doing the work that you are being paid to do.  All that rushing around and no time to think!

But being a home business owner, it is critical to make the time for mental space.  And I am not just talking about spending valuable time on planning.

I am talking about time spent gazing out of the window watching the sun shine through the trees.  I am talking about the time spent walking around your neighbour without listening to the latest podcast or business audio download.

It’s amazing how much clearer your business becomes and what the next stage of your action plan needs to be when you spend time leaning back in your chair – just gazing!

How do you create mental for your business?  Leave your thoughts as a comment below.

How do you juggle life AND grow a home business?

A typical day for me is to hang out the washing while my children eat breakfast before shouting at them to get their shoes on and get in the car to get to school.  Get my morning run in (as long as it is not raining!) and then be ready for work at 10am.  Work like crazy either speaking to one of my 1-2-1 clients, bash away at the keyboard writing copy for a website or an article or dash out to a networking event before skidding in to the car park for 3.15pm to do the pick-up.

On goes mum hat and its time to do homework, cook tea, put plasters on cut knees and play diplomat for any arguments.  Time for bath, chuck another load of washing in and sit down with a cup of coffee with husband before heading back up to the PC to "tinker" on my web-gadgets and social networking profiles.

Phew!  But would I ever change this routine? 

Absolutely not.  Like many of you reading this, I started my business to create a new, flexible career.  My reasons were my family but I know others of you have decided to become your own boss to fit around ski seasons, partner's careers and, let's be honest, to get out of the rat race.

But a question that I asked a lot is "How on earth can you grow a business and still have a life?"  Is it possible to juggle it all and still move a business forward?

Well, yes it is and this week I thought I would share some practical advice and tips that have helped me and other home business owners have a life AND a successful business.

1.  Remind yourself regularly of your reasons for starting up in business.  When times get hard and more and more projects tumble around you, it is easy to scream and ask yourself why it seemed such a good idea to set up in business.  I remember my first Easter holiday, trying to keep my work momentum going whilst my 2 children where home from school.  After 2 weeks of unsuccessful TV watching and several shouting matches later, I had to remind myself that it was my children that motivated me to become self-employed.  I needed to take my foot of the pedal during the holidays and fire it up during term-time.  OK, it did take me a couple of years of hard juggling to really enjoy the ebb and flow of a term-time business and still have a 12 month income - but it is possible! 

2.  Just say NO!  In the early months, it is tempting to take on as much work as is offered to you.  But just because it pays, it doesn't mean it is always the right work to do.  Accept the projects that you do "just for the money" or take on clients because they have a cheque book, and you will not allow you or your diary to be open to the opportunities you really want.

3.  Create opportunities to fit around you.  If you are designing a business to fit in to your rules (which is always a good idea!) then having the ability to create the right opportunities to fit around your diary and your priorities is a great skill to have.  Networking events is good example of this. I hear many women say that they can't find networking events to fit around school hours but to be honest, if you start digging around it is amazing how many networking groups operate at all times of the day.  Lunches, mid-morning, evenings.  It's a case of asking around your network and if you can't find one that suits - start one yourself at a time that suits you!

4.  Take on one project at a time.  I saw Nicola Cairncross of the www.themoneygym.com present again the other week and she demonstrated this point exceptionally well.  If one project takes one month to complete and you take on a new project each week that month, each project is going to take four times longer and results from your first project will take at least four months.  Focus on the first project and by the end of your first month, the results and income will start to happen to help spur you on for the next new one. Make sense?

5.  Do less and achieve more.  This principle is particularly useful when it comes to marketing.  It is easy to feel that you have to have lots of irons in lots of fires to attract as many clients as possible.  But advertising one week, posting furiously on social networking sites the next, followed by a leaflet drop in your local neighbourhood and finishing off with random visits to various networking events is just going to make you dizzy!  Do one thing well, measure your results and then work out whether you carry on or adjust your marketing strategy.

6.  Know that you can't achieve success by yourself.  "No man is an island" is a famous quote by John Donne (I googled that - didn't think I knew that, did you?) and when you start up in business, the sooner you realise this, the stronger and more successful you will be.  This doesn't mean that you need to recruit business partners and start offering a percentage of your company, but it does mean that you can seek out business buddies to share ideas with, virtual assistants to delegate work out to, associates to share the work load and networking contacts to help and support you. 

7.  Make time for you in your diary.  You put clients meetings and telephone appointments in your diary.  But when was the last time you actually dedicated a few hours to yourself in your diary.  Make a commitment to join an exercise class, meet a friend for a dog walk or book a table for one at the local coffee shop.  It's amazing how more effective you can become by having some time away from your business. 

I am sure there are some other great suggestions and practical advice out there and I know there are others who would love to read them.  So add your comments, along with your web link if you have one, below and share your thoughts.