Thursday, January 21, 2010

Are Your Activities Helping You Reach Your Goals?

One of the great things about being a business owner is you call your own shots. Every morning you dictate your activities and energy level. It is certainly a blessing many employees around the country would like to try for just one day. It is a blessing but also a curse.
Many business owners get so unfocused that they end up chasing one opportunity after the other, never really focusing on their long-term goals.
The solution: A plan.
Business owners are the worst when it comes to planning. Most spend more time planning their vacations than the future of their businesses. If you fall into that group, complete the following exercise:
Jot down where you want your business to be in 3 years. Be specific with sales figures, number of clients and employees.
Take a look at your information. Start to break it down. For example, if you want 300 clients in 3 years, you'll need 100 by the end of year 1. After you find out what you need in year 1, start jotting down what it will take to make those numbers.
Presto, you have a plan. Keep it posted above your computer. When you are bogged down in meetings or bouncing from project to project, take a loot at your plan. Ask yourself: "Is this activity helping me reach my goals?" If the answer is no, stop doing it.
--Ron Ameln, SBM