Successful Startup: Craft Your Plan for Business Success

elements of a business plan

Once you are clear about the vision you have for your new business and what you want to create, it is time to create a strategic plan for making it happen.

Start with the end in mind (your vision) and reverse engineer what it will take to get you there.  At this stage in your startup planning you will want to look at both strategies and timelines that help you reach your target vision.

  1. Get clear about your goals – make a list of goals that will support your vision. Make sure that your goals are in clear and positive language.  Write each one as if it is happening right now, by starting with the words, “I am” or “We are”.  Add dates or timelines to keep you on track.  And, make sure that your goals are at least 50% believable to prevent self-sabotage or fear from holding you back.  You may choose to have your goals organized with categories around things like marketing, sales, products, classes, speeches, customer care, etc.
  2. Brainstorm ideas– you probably already have some ideas of what you will do and how you will reach your goals, but I encourage you to allow time for wild and crazy brainstorming. Write down everything that comes to mind, even if it feels silly or impossible.  Freeing up your mind this way allows ideas to flow and sometimes the ones you might push aside at first can be true inspiration or bridge the way to something even more amazing.
  3. Choose your priority goals and projects – at this point you likely have a long list of goals and an even longer list of ideas. It’s time to scale them down and focus on priorities.  Which goals and ideas will move you forward the quickest?  Which will have the greatest impact on your success?  I usually recommend choosing the top three to focus on, but in a startup situation you may want a few more.
  4. Create an action plan with micro steps – for each priority goal or project you choose, write at least the first 5 action steps you will take. Keep the steps very small so that they can be accomplished quickly and you can establish a pattern of success that will keep you motivated.
  5. Set up a goal supporting system – the last step in the planning phase of your new business is to set up systems that will keep your goals and projects organized and support you in moving forward. If you don’t already have a strategy for this, a simple Word doc, spreadsheet, handwritten list, or custom app will usually work well.  Choose whatever will work best for you.  This system will be an important part of your success.

Related posts:

Successful Startups: Building a Solid Foundation

Successful Startup: The Heart of Your New Business

Successful Startup: Create a Low Stress Framework for Your Business

If you would like support making your new venture successful, I would be happy to help.  I offer a Startup Incubator program or One to One private coaching where we work with your specific questions.

Email: simplesmartbusiness@gmail.com for a Free Consultation.

 

 

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8 comments

  1. Hi Linda,
    All these tips are effective for a beginner businessman. Especially for me. I just start my business since last month. In this way, the goal of business is important for all the businessman. I think so, and I just learn if from your article.

  2. Doing a business isn’t just easy as it was. You’ll have to monitor everyday the sales and profit on your business. Having a strategy or plan for your business is one great idea. It can help you deal with your it. Just always remember, you always need to have courage in dealing with the problems with your business. You can’t be so sure if what problem will occur that’s why you have to be ready at all times.

  3. I have lots of ideas swimming around in my head. It is definitely a great idea to take the time to set out a plan of action so that things actually get done.

    This will also help curb my procrastination too. Thanks Linda 🙂

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