At SCORE, we provide free mentoring services to thousands of business owners, including solo start-ups and well-established, successful industry leaders. Their challenges range from basic foundational issues to high-level, complex challenges.
A common problem most businesses share is the lack of a good strategic, written plan. With the new year fast approaching, now is the time to look at your business plan, if you have one. Is yours good and strategic? How do you know if you even need one? Consider this analogy, which is like running any sized business.
Imagine you need to build a new office building. If you complete the right steps, in the right order, using the right people, the project runs smoothly. If not, it could be a nightmare.
For example, before the foundation is poured, you must place the sewer and water lines correctly. Before framing can begin, the location of walls, windows and doors must be planned. Before electrical wiring is installed, you must know where each light, switch and outlet will be located. Every important segment of construction needs a detailed written plan. Collectively these plans make up the blueprint, or the road map, of the project. Without a blueprint, it would be nearly impossible to complete the project efficiently.
Running any sized business, especially a successful one, is a complex proposition, too. There are many moving parts, all of which need to run smoothly. These include operations, marketing, sales, human resources, finance, accounting and more. Within each one of these segments are multiple components, all of which need to operate efficiently, too. If you do everything right, in the right order, with the right people, your business will run smoothly.
Like any complex challenge, every business needs a blueprint, or a good, strategic written plan. Stay tuned to future Biz Tips articles and we will show you how to build a better blueprint for your business.
