Planning Ahead for Business Success

Last year went speeding by, and now we are already into 2014. So many people wait until the New Year to get their focus back and re-align their businesses with new goals and new objectives that sometimes the most important priorities never get done during the year. This actually applies to both their professional and personal lives. Most often, this is because the actions that actually give you the fantastic growth spurts in your business are often the most difficult to do. They get considered at the beginning of the year but are easily forgotten as we go deeper into the year. However, the delay is the greatest form of denial. And consequently, the success remains hindered.

Just imagine, how would things be different in your practices if you made changes earlier and planned for progress ahead of schedule? How much more success do you think you will achieve?

One analogy is this- we have all been living the mayhem and commotion of getting our practices up to CQC standards. What if we had to do everything at the last minute without any prior preparation for inspection? How would we ever achieve success in the compliance we need? In a similar way, business success cannot be left to circumstances or, indeed, last-minute decision-making. Success needs to be planned way ahead of the game. This gives the opportunity to tweak and improve the steps and actions taken.

Here are five tips to help you plan ahead with certainty:

1. Perseverance.

   Once you have set your ACTION goals, then stick to them. Don’t create these goals based on mere promises to yourself. Action–orientated goals are different from simple New Year Resolutions. Action–orientated goals require strategy, tactics and most of all, committed perseverance. This can only occur if you truly want the results of those actions at all costs.

2. Plan Earlier than Required.

   One of the benefits of starting your planning early is that you can look ahead to avoid obstacles. Look back at past history and simply alter the course of action or change it. However, fear of failure seems to prevent these plans from fruition. Think about it in this way, if you try, at least you have the opportunity to win; if you don’t try and avoid, then you may get results that you don’t want. There are no rewards for inaction.

3. Add Value.

   Adding value is a fundamental part of a successful business. People are always looking for value for money. For this reason, your actions need to be continuously creating perceived value.

4. Accountability.

   Surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable. This can be family, friends, mentors or coaches. They eliminate false promises and make you take ownership of your goals.

5. Realistic.

   Create your plan with multiple baby steps and actions that are easy to do. This means that you are more likely to achieve the actions and hence the results. Concentrate on making and working on each day better than the previous one. Since inaction is associated with fear of failure, build your success based upon a foundation of successful actions. Smaller steps are easier to achieve but can have a compounding effect.

To be successful in practice, you need a vision and the ability to set goals. This part is easy, and many practices get this far. However, to avoid the trap of remaining a visionary you need to take the action to achieve that vision. Hence, taking action becomes a prominent part of any plan.

Talk to us about how we can help. Get in touch with us today.