If you’re like me, it’s hard to imagine taking time out from the day-to-day to think about where you want to be in the future – and then set goals to get there.
Long, drawn-out business plans that could fill a binder or a file folder are just not practical for today’s busy business leader. But it seems a lot more doable if you only have to set aside one day to create a straightforward, very “usable” business plan.
What’s in a one page business plan?
A simple business plan is the way to go when it comes to planning for your business. If it’s simple, you’ll be more likely to create it in the first place – and you’ll be more likely to stick with it in the long run.
This kind of plan is designed to give you:
- A clear picture of where you want to be in 10-30 years
- Your 3-5 year plan
- Your 90-day plan
- Next steps that are ready to implement
A great example of this type of plan is Verne Harnish’s “1-Page Strategic Plan” planning template. It lets you see the components of your long-term business plan, as well as your short-term “What should I be working on today?” goals.
Committing your plan to paper gives you a sense from a personal perspective what you want to get out of the business. That way, you’re more likely to inspire the kind of business outcome that’ll produce the personal outcome you want.
Balancing your business vision with your personal vision
Your personal vision informs the discussion about your business vision. It dictates the size or type of business you want to build, or the type of customers you want to attract. You want to make sure the plan you create will produce your desired personal outcome. Consider these questions:
- Looking ahead 5, 10, 15, or 20 years, what kind of life do you want to be living?
- What properties, businesses, cash, or cars do you want to have?
- What kind of hobbies, investments, donations, achievements, or vacations do you envision?
- What will your values, church life, physical health, friendships, family be like?
Creating your simple business plan
If you don’t have a clear plan to guide your business operation, I run a 1-day workshop in Central Indiana where business owners come together and complete their 1-Page Strategic Plans. In fact, many workshop attendees hang their plan right in front of their desks and use it as a guide for daily decision-making.
The 1-Page Business Plan Workshop: Grow your People, Profits and Passion
- Thursday, June 30, 2016
- 9am – 4pm
- Indianapolis, IN
“We’re on target to exceed our planned growth due to a simplified strategic business plan combined with quarterly action plans.”
Indiana Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Company Owner
Growth Plan Business Planning Workshop attendee
“Business is much improved when we went from no plan to an actual business plan.”
Indianapolis Veterinarian
Growth Plan Business Planning Workshop attendee
At the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away with:
- A clear picture of where you want your business to be in 90 days, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, and 30 years – and a ready-to-implement action plan to get you there
- Your annual goals broken into bite-size quarterly goals, monthly milestones, and weekly actions
- Strategies to build profits right away
- A network of like-minded business owners
Link to the template
If you want to get started on your simple business plan now, download the 1-Page Strategic Plan template from our Resource Library.
