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Plan Time to Plan

Guest post by: Kerri Salls

Article Overview: Most business owners and entrepreneurs --not just solopreneurs -find excuses not to make time to plan. These are the same people who bemoan that they aren't getting anywhere with their business. Don’t be one of them.

Plan Time to Plan

Are you a solopreneur, sole proprietor or a consultant? Or are you a corporate refugee thinking of reinventing yourself as a solopreneur? Do you have a plan of where to start and how to make next year your best year yet?

Why is it time to plan for next year – now?



Because knowing where you are and where you are going lets you map the fastest way to get to where you want to be at the end of next year!

Here’s a brief outline on where to start, and strategies to ensure your success now and next year. It all starts with a plan.

You must run your business on a strong footing. That starts with planning. Even if you are a solo shop, you have to plan.

It is imperative to take time to plan your work and work your plan on a larger scale. Once a year, every business owner must revisit their three-year plan for the business. I just heard Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame this week. He says he and his wife do this for themselves on January 1. Sometimes it takes a day. Sometimes it takes them a week. They go through this exact same process.

I recommend a scheduled three-day retreat because of its proven effectiveness in helping you grow your business exponentially.

A business retreat is an opportunity to break away from routine, remove yourself from day-to-day operations - to focus exclusively on your business and where you envision it will be in three years.

When you take your business retreat, it is best to get away from home and office. The location should provide ambience conducive to intense concentration without too many distracting temptations.

To get the most impact from strategic planning for the next 3 years, you need to plan your retreat at least as carefully as you plan your vacations.



Before you go, collect all your strategic files and data for your business including last year’s strategic plan, goals and quarterly plans so far this year, your current budget, and current financial statements. Collect all the supplies, printouts, data you’ll need. And bring along your laptop – to record everything.

First, settle into your surroundings and unpack all the materials you brought. Getting down to work, the easiest place to start to get you the zone is to rewrite your personal and professional mission statements. One is for you as a human being. The other is for your business persona. Be sure they are aligned. If they aren’t, dig deeper. You cannot proceed unless and until these two agree.

Second, revisit and rewrite your 3-year vision statement for the business. Determine what can/must be done next year towards that vision. If it does not lead you closer to that vision, it does not go in the one year plan. Break down that 12 month plan into a sequence of 90 day goals for the next 18 months, including 4^th quarter this year.

Third, build a calendar of how to achieve those goals each quarter. That is, you will schedule out every new product, new marketing activity, every talk, every networking event, every vacation, even your newsletter --now.

Fourth, review your finances year to date. Compare them to your budget. Write down a detailed analysis of what the numbers mean. Plan revenue streams, income adjustments, cost adjustments, and staffing to achieve the profit growth projected. Don’t stop until your marketing plans and 90 day goals match your financial forecast.

Most business owners and entrepreneurs --not just solopreneurs -find excuses not to make time to plan. These are the same people who bemoan that they aren't getting anywhere with their business. Don’t be one of them.

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Article Tags: annual retreat, business retreat, plan, plan time to plan, planning, planning time



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