A business needs vision. Because vision gives a business direction and purpose and essential ideas from which commitment, growth, and the sense of personal achievement arise and flourish.
The vision reflects thinking and feeling. Mind and heart.
It requires smaller scale strategies and even smaller scale tactics to make it happen.
Tactics are there to accomplish strategies and produce results.
Vision needs form, direction, and clarity of a business plan to give it relevance to the day-to-day operation(work) of the business.
The plan is the link between the work of the business and the vision that work intended to produce
Work of business <====> Plan <====> Vision(strategies & tatics)
Do not only prepare the plan with what you think you should do.
Do not only write a business plan because "that's what successful businesses do"
Do not only write a business plan because we need it to borrow some money
Do not make it static
Avoid being only too thoughtful, analytical, complete and decisive in a business plan, they are why business plans will always fail.
Doing the above mentioned will only result in the business plan being chucked away to collect dust.
A plan that starts in the head, with logic and reason and thoughts, lack passion and excitement and purpose. It is obsolete the moment it starts with the assumption that it's been able to capture and account for all the relevant changes that will happen in future.
It is simply dead and not realistic.
No sense of commitment or pride or accountability will anyone sense for that plan.
The business plan that always work looks a lot like a plan that will not work. The difference lies in appearances. The plan will work because it starts from a completely different place, with a different set of operating assumptions.
The business plan that always work looks a lot like a plan that will not work. The difference lies in appearances. The plan will work because it starts from a completely different place, with a different set of operating assumptions.
It starts from the heart.
It begins with the experiencing of the feelings you'll have, and your people will have, and your customers will have, when your plan has been accomplished.
When you start by defining the true end result, how you'll feel, then all the logic and analysis and numbers will really mean something.
The plan that always work also assumes.
But because nobody can possibly predict all the changes that will occur, the plan is built to not only tolerate changes but relies upon it as a key factor that will keep you on the best course.
The plan that always work will and must change over time to suit the situation ahead.
With a clear vision, and a business plan that adjusts its strategies to account for the world as it really is, the work of your business can be best positioned to achieve great results.
In conclusion, business plan that always work requires both how you think and feel about the plan. Thinking is still required, but it is the feelings that will make the logic sensible. Your attitude and relationship to the plan will ultimately make the difference.
Plans do not insure that what is planned will actually come to pass; plans do not predict the future
Because the pace of change in the world today is so fast, what we accept as reality today, changes in the blink of an eye.
In this mass of uncertainty, one thing is - or should be - certain: Your Vision
So that's where you start.
Your business plan will be a statement of your vision and a current description of the main strategies and tactics you'll use to make your vision come true.
From the strategies and tactics discussed in the plan, each department and position will be able to develop the additional strategies, tactics, and systems to achieve their results and, ultimately the Strategic Objective and Strategic Purpose of the company.
Strategic Objective and Strategic Purpose creates pictures of what you want your company to become. They provide the head-centered and heart-centered foundations for the choices you'll make in your business plan.
Vision ==give form to==> Strategies & Action == assists every department and positions in the company==> Formulate additional strategies, tactics and system to achieve results == to ultimately accomplish==>Strategic Objective & Strategic Purpose ==gives clear picture of ideal company==> Logical & Sensible choices made in business
- Start with what's important to you
A mediocre plan that you and others feel passionately about will serve you better than a technically superior plan that you don't feel strongly about
So my first step will be to feel the feelings my business plan will instill in myself and my team. What I want my team to feel when they are reading the plan and following it - Approach planning as more of an art than science
Use your best thinking when you plan, but don't forget that even the best thinking involves guesswork. Educated guesswork. Remember that even the best-looking business plan contains guesses based on assumptions. Use it to your advantage as you create and implement your plan. Be sure that you and anyone developing portions of business plan document all planning assumptions that underlie the actual content of the plan.
I need to think and guess. If the guess is too ambiguous, dig out facts to support my assumptions. But due the inexperience of my own, the whole business plan will be purely assumptions. For that, I believe I need a reference business plan that a veteran produced.
-Reminder - Create a planning framework that accommodates change
The plan is not a rigid "final product" with every details pinned down. Think of it as a series of guideposts of key topics to focus attention on the targets to aim for. Be free to add, revise and remove parts of the plan when he talent and judgment of those around you and your own inclination tell you it's the right thing to do. Develop a system for building change into your business plan (covered later).
Water has no form and yet it is the master of erosion. Be as formless as water and you can remove all obstacles or bypass them. - Treat the plan as a living, growing document
Make conscious decision to review your plan periodically, evaluate it, revise it. Keep questioning your assumptions. Stay flexible and open to change. Pride or inertia should not get in the way of reworking the plan and moving forward.
Be willing to accept the fact that all man makes mistake and only a true man acknowledges his own mistakes. Even when the progress is fast, if it is not in the right direction, stop and U-turn.
If you think writing a business plan is a daunting, burdensome task, it certainly will be.
worksheet
The link contains the relevant material useful for this section.
Easy way to begin:
- Be clear about what you want to achieve
This thought process has 2 steps.
1st: you need to be clear about your vision for the business - what you want your business to achieve as expressed in your Strategic Objective and your Strategic Purpose.
2nd: you need to be clear about how you'll use your business plan to achieve that vision.
Mental image of road map and clear idea of what mode of transport to use to get there - Choose a time horizon for your plan
Do what feels like the most sense for you and your business. Remember that you'll be building your business plan to embrace changing conditions, so the time horizon you choose shouldn't feel like a constraint, but more like a temporary frame of reference that will help you see the elements of your plan more clearly
Think of it as an ETA to a destination - Get organized
It is both a mental and physical phenomenon. Devote the time, attention, and resources to creating your plan. Make it your intention to produce a plan that will work based on this new way of thinking about a business plan. Then assemble all the physical elements that will allow it to happen.
I must produce a plan that will work with everything I've got because it is what I chose to do. - Think about how you'll get others involved
The more involvement, the better. Not only will there be the benefit of more knowledge and more help, you'll also create a sense of shared commitment and participation. The emotional impact that people feel when given the opportunity to engage at this level of business planning is more than worth the extra time and coordination it may take. Group involvement leads to group learning and a more "intelligent" company.
I must figure out a way to get my team involved in the planning process. I think I need to sort out the sections of the business that needs planning and list down the difficulties I'm facing in each section. Perhaps I should ask only questions and take down all the answer I get from my team. All in all, I need to make my team feel important and involved.
The steps reviewed in this section will lead you through the process of producing the physical document of your business plan. But they are not the steps of the business planning process.
Business planning is how you actually formulate the content of your plan - the reasoning and proposed activities that arise from it.
This is benchmark is to help you pull all the pieces of specific business development process that relate to the various systems in your business: marketing systems, financial systems, sales systems, management systems etc together into a document that combines heart centered and head-centered planning to become the living, breathing "game plan" for your organization.
I presume this is akin to the skin of the human body, an outline and container for every organ, muscle, bone, tissue, fluid in the body.3
Benchmarks for Producing Your Business Plan
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Create a Mental Picture of Your Business Plan's Impact
Outline Your Business Plan
Content page of the plan. Outline the items included in the plan
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Prepare Your Business Plan Binder
A ring folder to keep all the materials
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Gather Materials You Already Have
Items include Strategic Objective, Strategic Purpose, Organization chart, descriptions of your target markets, positioning statement, marketing plan, financial strategy, financial statements, and product/service strategy etc. Use the worksheet to indicate who should be accountable for the next step, and a due date.
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Identify What You Need to Produce
What pieces of plan don't you have?
What will be needed to produce them?
Who should do it?
Start thinking but don't come to any final conclusions
Bring others in to participate, and complete your business plan sooner rather than later.
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Conduct Planning Meeting
Gather the team. Enroll instead of dictating assignments. Paint the bigger picture. Get them excited. Ask for their suggestions, and really listen.
Objective of this meeting is to get people's commitment to the business plan and a clear understanding of who will do what by when.
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Prepare, Review, and Revise Materials
Involves all the accountable people thinking, analyzing, developing, writing, meeting, reviewing, rewriting until each section is done. Review every piece before it's finalized and make any additional changes. Make sure all the pieces are consistent and work together as an integrated whole.
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Produce "Final" Business Plan
It's not really final - as long as you are in the business, you'll need to revise and update it. Give the plan a polished, easy-to-read appearance. Do what you need in order for your business plan to have the impact you want it to have, but don't go overboard. Professional printing and bindery may be a good idea if the audience of the business plan is for outside parties(lenders, investors, shareholders)
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Create Change Mechanism
This step is absolutely vital. Think about how you'll accommodate change into your business plan and create the system for doing it. The best system is a two-pronged approach: First should be establishing a "formal" review period, either quarterly or semiannually, when you review the entire plan and update it, as needed. Second is to review part or all of your plan when something significant changes. Worksheet available.
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Create a Mental Picture of Your Business Plan's Impact
Imagine the emotions my team will have when they read the plan. Visualise the effect that I want.
\/Outline Your Business Plan
Content page of the plan. Outline the items included in the plan
\/
Prepare Your Business Plan Binder
A ring folder to keep all the materials
\/
Gather Materials You Already Have
Items include Strategic Objective, Strategic Purpose, Organization chart, descriptions of your target markets, positioning statement, marketing plan, financial strategy, financial statements, and product/service strategy etc. Use the worksheet to indicate who should be accountable for the next step, and a due date.
\/
Identify What You Need to Produce
What pieces of plan don't you have?
What will be needed to produce them?
Who should do it?
Start thinking but don't come to any final conclusions
Bring others in to participate, and complete your business plan sooner rather than later.
\/
Conduct Planning Meeting
Gather the team. Enroll instead of dictating assignments. Paint the bigger picture. Get them excited. Ask for their suggestions, and really listen.
Objective of this meeting is to get people's commitment to the business plan and a clear understanding of who will do what by when.
\/
Prepare, Review, and Revise Materials
Involves all the accountable people thinking, analyzing, developing, writing, meeting, reviewing, rewriting until each section is done. Review every piece before it's finalized and make any additional changes. Make sure all the pieces are consistent and work together as an integrated whole.
\/
Produce "Final" Business Plan
It's not really final - as long as you are in the business, you'll need to revise and update it. Give the plan a polished, easy-to-read appearance. Do what you need in order for your business plan to have the impact you want it to have, but don't go overboard. Professional printing and bindery may be a good idea if the audience of the business plan is for outside parties(lenders, investors, shareholders)
\/
Create Change Mechanism
This step is absolutely vital. Think about how you'll accommodate change into your business plan and create the system for doing it. The best system is a two-pronged approach: First should be establishing a "formal" review period, either quarterly or semiannually, when you review the entire plan and update it, as needed. Second is to review part or all of your plan when something significant changes. Worksheet available.
For those who like to buy the book, you can get it online through Amazon.com
