Having a business plan format that is relevant to your specific situation and simple to
implement is the cornerstone to success. You see business plans are not just for starting a
business or to focus on obtaining funding. These are two primary reasons for planning but
there are many more reasons.
Statistics already prove to us from various studies that you are more likely to succeed if
you have a business plan. Studies from all around the world highlight the fact of increased
business success equals good planning. One Australian study of small business indicated that
the enterprise with a strong but simple and current business plan will be 15% more likely to
succeed over the long term. This was based on a sampling of over one hundred small
businesses.
The other reasons why you must have a current business plan are:
1.Focuses leaders and team members on internal operations.
2.Focuses on the objectives to be accomplished (the goals and targets) and a step by step
strategy to get you there.
3.Allows a focus on all areas of the business. A business plan format covering all 10 areas
of business is particularly valuable.
So as a business coach, I focus on 10 key areas of every business I work with. I have found
this is a very powerful formula which I will outline below. This is relevant to every
business regardless of industry.
An important point: It is fine to construct a large business plan for starting a business or
to obtain funding but a more successful way to go for business growth is to complete 90 day
action plans of 2-3 pages in length every 90 days.
The benefits of constructing a simple business plan format for the next 90 days are too many
to mention here. But here is what you should include.
10 Key Items to Include In your 90 day business plan format.
1. Leadership: How will you lead yourself and your team? What is the big vision for 3-5 years
down the track for the business? What is the vision for the next 1 year in your business?
2. Management: How will you spend your time? What strategies need to be implemented here to
ensure efficiency for yourself and team? How much time will you spend working ON the
marketing, sales and growth aspects of your business per week?
3. Financial Targets: Taking a 3 month view what will be your turnover or revenue per month?
Your expenses forecast and most importantly, your profit targets per month?
4. Marketing strategy: What specific strategies will you target for lead generation over the
next 90 days?
5. Marketing strategy for Increasing the Average Spend: Increasing the average spend should
be measured. How will you increase this and what strategies will you implement over the next
90 days?
6. Marketing strategy for Repeat Customers: Exactly what strategy will you implement over the
next 90 days to get more customers coming back again and again?
7. Planning: Do a 90 day plan every quarter forever and focus on it weekly or daily to plan
out the next item to be implemented.
8. Systems: What internal procedures need to be written down, improved on or fine tuned?
9. Team: What training, learning and communication will you do as a team to improve the
business over the next 90 days?
10. Sales: How can you improve your conversion rate from prospect to sale? Will you measure
this and exactly what will you implement over the next 90 days? What are the sales targets
per month? You need to include these crucial answers in your own business plan format.
Constructing a business plan format like this every 90 days means rapid focus on the key
performance indicators which bring on success. Try it yourself and reap the benefits.
15Apr