FEATURED AUTHOR: JACKIE MCKEEVER

HOWTOPLAN,IMPLEMENT,ANDEVALUATEYOURSUCCESS

BYJACKIEMCKEEVER

So, you have this idea. You are very passionate about this idea and ready to put it out in the world. But wait…how will you do that? Every project, big or small, requires you to go through the planning, implementing, and evaluating process to ensure your success.

Step 1: Planning

Define your idea. This may seem simple when you first glanced at the sentence. In this step, you are clearly defining or outlining your goal. Start this step by writing the who, what, where, when, and why questions listed below concerning your goal. Then answer the questions. The purpose of writing the questions and then answering them is to develop a strategy for the results you are looking for. Let’s say, for example, you have an idea to build a service business around a book about gardening in Mississippi you created in 2017.

Who will your service/product serve?

After some market research, you have decided your service/product will be for beginner women gardeners in South Mississippi who want to grow and feast off vegetables grown in pots. These women live in small spaces like apartments or don’t have a large yard so growing in pots fits. Their ages range from 45-65 years old.

What will you provide for them?

You have decided you would provide them with beginner gardening classes for $50 a month or $60.00 (per class without commitment). The vegetables used in the training will vary with the season. They will be plants that require the least effort like herbs, peppers, and leafy plants. Where will you deliver the service/product?

You have decided you would provide them with beginner gardening classes in person for $60 month or $60.00 (per class without commitment). Customers will be able to pay online or by card in person using your card reader.

When will you provide the service/product?

These classes occur on the 2nd and 4th (twice a month) Saturday each month.

Why would they buy your product?

They will purchase the product because they will not only be provided with written care instructions but also because they will be provided with in-person coaching. They also will be able to ask questions concerning the process and be provided with video option resources.

Step 2 Implementing

Your personal end goal started with wanting to work full-time in your business doing what you love: gardening and coaching. You have a plan for your product. Now it is time to plan your methods of implementation.

To complete this step, start by writing everything down. Decide what tools or systems are needed to sell your product/service. This is also the stage you decide how will you funnel people through your program. You will also outline the details like the location of the classes mentioned in step one.

There will be a lot of learning opportunities in this step. You may want to find a coach, consultant, or mentor to help you with this section. They can help you not only with the planning but being accountable for the things you want to do. There is no wrong answer for this section. You must go with what you feel comfortable with doing and outsource anything too much for you at this time. Schedule time to get everything done. Once you know what you need to do, create a checklist, and mark them off as you get them done.

Step 3 Evaluating

Despite what you heard, it’s all in the numbers. Numbers are used by a business to evaluate its success, failures, and when it is time to go to the next stage. In this step you will take everything from step 1 and step 2 and make a measurable goal to evaluate your success. Using information from the example in steps 1 and 2, determine the cost of doing business:

Landing page: $15.00 Meeting room: $100 Square card reader usage: $4.00 per month Plants and Gardening Tools: $20.00 per month Print outs: $4.00 per month Videos/Course site: $20 per month Social Media ads: $100 per month

Total cost of doing business is $263. Let’s round up to $300. This is your break-even point. If your goal is to sell your service for $50 per month. To break even, you will have to sell to a minimum of 6 people. Let’s say you decided you want to start off small, so you set your goal on getting 12 people to buy your service. 12 (people) X $50= $600 revenue

To evaluate your success, determine when you will look at your progress. In the first month or so I suggest you review it weekly to get rid of the bugs that may come up before going monthly. Next, assign a grade.

In this plan, your goal is to sell 12 units and you need a minimum of 6 to break even. Determine how many you would like to sell per week, per day, etc. Note: the numbers in the chart were rounded up or down to make it easier to use. The formula for evaluating the success rate is the amount sold divided by the desired amount you wish to sell. For example, if you sold 10 units but had the desire to sell 12 units the grade would be a B or 83% success rate. Be consistent in reviewing your results. If the grade is a C or less, reevaluate your process and formulate a resolve. Only change and test one process at a time to prevent corrupt results with scoring low. Once you are getting B or better result, rinse and repeat as you set new goals.

You can achieve any results you want by planning, implementing, and evaluating your success. For more help with any of these steps visit my contact page on my website at https://www.jackiemckeever.com/contactus

Jackie Mckeever Life and Business Coach www.jackiemckeever.com