4 minute read
Roadmap to 2019
ROADMAP TO 2019
The new year is upon us. We’re probably now well into the routines of our daily lives. If you’re like me, one day simply flows into another and we keep on keeping on. Did you have big goals and dreams for 2019? Have they already fallen by the wayside or are you moving ahead steadily towards your future?
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Statistics tell us that at least 50% of all small businesses fail within the first 5 years. That’s a daunting thought isn’t it? Are you past that stage or are you still forming your business model? Here’s something to think about… as many have heard me say over the years, you might make the best widget in the world but be horrible at running a business because you don’t know that side of things. If that’s the case, you have a choice.
You can either strive to learn and become great at management and leadership or you’re truly better off doing what you do best: making the widget and letting someone else manage.
If you decide you truly want to learn and become that successful business owner, one of the first things you need to do is to create a plan for what is going to happen ahead. I remember when I was a kid my parents would take us on a vacation every summer. They never would have said “Come on kids, we’re going on a trip” without knowing exactly where we were going and how to get there (and back).
They had a plan. First, they decided where we were going and then they went to their insurance agency who provided them with a roadmap – a book of maps with roads drawn out for the best ways to get to Point B from Point A. There were directions for side trips, places to stay the night, good restaurants to eat at and all kinds of things we might want along the way. It was the ONLY way we would go on vacation and my husband and I still do similar things (via Google Maps) these days.
The reason for this story is to tell you that running and growing a business are very similar to taking a trip. You definitely don’t want to just “go with it”. Although, unfortunately, many owners do exactly that. They get so involved in the day-to-day work of the company that they don’t take time to create a roadmap for getting to the end of their trip. What is needed in that map? What do you want to do and who are the people you want to work with? What is your goal?
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Do you want a side Hustle or is this a true business where you can live a comfortable life, pay your bills, and other things you’d LIKE to have?
Once you have a firm idea of where you want to do, then it’s time to create the roadmap that will get you there. Creating a marketing plan, working on putting the processes and strategies together that will help build the business while in the long run giving you more time, money and freedom along the way.
It takes a bit of time in the beginning as you often have to try something, if it doesn’t work, try something else, until you find the right formula. But once you have it created those processes can be tremendously helpful and freeing.
tipsheet will share many of them.) while others might be more in the form of outsourcing to a VA, a bookkeeper, etc.
As an example, one hour of time a week given to someone else who’s area of expertise it is, can save you several hours of doing something not your best, or something that you dislike doing, and so forth.
In the long term, now is the best time of the year to sit down and create that roadmap to get you moving forward. If you’d like some support along the way, I am happy to share a few chats with those who are ready to start the process. My bio has the link to my scheduler.
Some processes are in the form of automations (lots of things on line to help with that… check out www.dontwaittilpigsfly.com and our weekly
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NANCY BECHER
Nancy Becher, the Chief Flying Pig Wrangler of Business Success Unlimited, is a speaker, trainer, radio show host, author and business coach. In business in one form or another since she was 12, Nancy founded Business Success Unlimited in its current form in 2009.
When she first started her business over 35 years ago, there was no real internet and if you wanted to be a business owner you just had to jump in and DO IT. Now, there are hundreds of gurus and experts out there. So many, in fact, you still often have to just DO IT. Business Success Unlimited is there to help the business owner design the processes and strategies that build the roadmap to success, giving the owner the dreams they started their business to have much more quickly, easily and effectively.
You can join Nancy on her website at www.dontwaittilpigsfly.com Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/BusinessSuccessUnlimited/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/smallbizjunkie Her podcast is at: https://www.spreaker.com/show/dont-wait-til-pigs-fly And her Youtube channel is: https://bit.ly/2AiQS2s
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