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Best iPhone apps for running a small business, asking the right questions when networking, and a business plan challenge
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August - September 2012leapmagazine.co.uk
Questioning Skillsby Chris Liles
The Secret of Successby Sara Gibbons
Why Social Media Fails to Deliverby Nial Adams
Run Your Business From Your iPhoneby Sally-Anne Brown
Articles compiled byAlina Sandu, a freelance graphic designer with an interest in promoting Norwich and the small-business community herealinasandu.co.uk
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Be Your Own Boss Broadland Council Apprenticeship Success Run Your Business From Your iPhoneQuestioning Skills
Page 4Page 6Page 10Page 14
The cover artwork is Rosie Winn’s Revive, woodburning pen on paper. Rosie is part of the team currently planning the Norwich Art Fair, find out more about it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NorwichArtFairand Twitter, @NorwichArtFair.See more of Rosie’s work atwww.rosiewinn.com.
LEAP magazine: contents
Thank you to all contributors for making this magazine possible.Please visit leapmagazine.co.uk/category/meet-the-writers to find out more about them.
Resilience: A Way of ThinkingThe Secret of Success is…. The Gorillas Are Coming to Norwich!Forget the Long-Term Plan!
Page 18Page 22Page 26 Page 30
It looks like the heat has not slowed anyone down this month and big things are being planned in Norwich - there’s the Norwich Art Fair taking shape, the Maker Space preparing an update and, on top of everything else, Gorillas! We find out a bit more about that last one in this issue.We’ve also got Sally-Anne Brown showing us the iPhone apps she uses to coordinate her beekeeping and candle-making business, Chris Liles explaining the use of open questions when trying to get to know someone, and Nial Adams giving us a challenge - a 90 day plan to develop our businesses.
In this time of change, uncertainty, unemployment and redundancy, it’s a breath of fresh air that European Social Funding, managed by TCHC, has been successfully brought to the area by a collaboration between local business coaches Anne Francis and West Norwich Partnership.
West Norwich Partnership has enjoyed a great reputation for providing services to families across West Norwich for over 16 years, hosting the award-winning, community-based business coaching programme BizFizz for over 6 years and running the ever popular family activity Sorted programme and forging links between the established business community in Norfolk and emerging entrepreneurs from West Norwich. West Norwich is traditionally an area that scores highly on all indices of deprivation Anne Francis says “I’ve worked in this area as an Adult
Education Centre Head, a microfinance facilitator and as a business coach for nearly 20 years and quite frankly love the area. It’s full of community spirit, creative people, great businesses and constantly increasing dynamism.”
Twenty local people, who are currently out of work, are lucky enough to be engaged with the new Be Your Own Boss course. This is a ten week course that takes people through every aspect of starting, establishing and sustaining their business dreams. All the tutors on the course are self employed and running successful businesses. The emphasis is on telling it how it is rather than the theory of starting a business and the tutors will certainly draw on their considerable experience to deliver an enjoyable and worthwhile course. The course covers legislation, business structure, marketing, finances, mindset, communication skills,
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Be Your Own Boss
LEAP magazine: training
Education Centre Head, a microfinance facilitator and as a business coach for nearly 20 years and quite frankly love the area. It’s full of community spirit, creative people, great businesses and constantly increasing dynamism.”
Twenty local people, who are currently out of work, are lucky enough to be engaged with the new Be Your Own Boss course. This is a ten week course that takes people through every aspect of starting, establishing and sustaining their business dreams. All the tutors on the course are self employed and running successful businesses. The emphasis is on telling it how it is rather than the theory of starting a business and the tutors will certainly draw on their considerable experience to deliver an enjoyable and worthwhile course. The course covers legislation, business structure, marketing, finances, mindset, communication skills,
networking, social media and includes a practical flyer design session.
Every participant will leave with an Action Resource Book containing all the information they need to start their businesses. This Action Resource Book has been designed and compiled by Jenny Eaton, director of www.eosprogramme.org.
As business owners we all appreciate that 1-1 coaching is a vital ingredient to the success of a new business and this has been costed in to provide vital support at a time when it’s most needed. Apart from the people already mentioned specialist coaches also available include Finbarr Carter, Sally Gregory, Mark Merrywest and Stuart Patterson.
If you are interested in the course or know someone who would benefit please get in touch with Anne on 07899 953 974 or [email protected].
Be Your Own Boss
Bussiness Buddies businessbuddies.org.uk
0843 289 2368 [email protected]
Recruitment and selection can be a costly and timely business for a lot of small to medium employers. For those running a business spending time advertising and interviewing potential staff, then starting them as an employed member of staff costs money and takes time away from other more important business commitments.
For a young person employed for the first time there are additional considerations to be taken on board as well. If they are under 18 there could be changes required to the health and safety induction/
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The Man From Broadland – He Says Yes!
LEAP magazine: Broadland District Council
risk assessments, there may be training needs linked to the vocational area the young person is working in plus they may need additional support and mentoring to induct them into the world of work. This will also include any “safeguarding” processes to be put into place by the employer.
To support this process in 2010 Broadland Council Training Services developed the YES (Youth Employment Support) programme for employers taking on a 16-17 unemployed Broadland youngster and offering them an apprenticeship. Employers
The Man From Broadland – He Says Yes!
Broadland Council Training Services www.broadland.gov.uk/trainingcourses
01603 430562
were able to access up to £2,000 for apprenticeship frameworks delivered by BCTS. Two years later young people and Broadland businesses are reaping the benefits of this initiative.
Phillip Duncan has set up his own company in Cantley as a Health and Safety Consultant and CDM coordinator (Phillip Duncan Ltd) and he used the money to pay for personal protective equipment, registration fees for various quality assurance bodies
for Health and Safety for his young employee Alex Alston, a Business Administration apprentice, as well as investing in a second computer for Alex to use.
Robert Ediker who studied for an NVQ level 2 in Customer Service with BCTS, whilst working for The Lively Crew based in Broadland, earned himself a full-time post as Marketing & Sales Executive after demonstrating passion, enthusiasm and a natural flair for marketing. During his apprenticeship, Robert helped The Lively Crew take a mobility trike across the Swiss Alps for national charity Disabled Motoring UK, build and launch the South Norfolk Online Business Directory for South Norfolk Council as well as marketing a range of environmentally responsible products.
Other employers such as Kiki Health in Aylsham have also used this funding to take on warehousing apprentices offering City and Guilds qualifications and training to allow several young people to kick start their career in the Storage and Distribution sector.
BCTS are looking to build on the success of this programme in 2012 so if you are interested please contact Anna Kingman on 01603 430562 for further details.
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LEAP magazine: Broadland District Council
The current economic climate has brought the difficulties of securing work for school leavers into sharp focus so it is always heartening to hear stories of success and achievement. After 8 months of hard work Charlie Paterson 19, has completed his apprenticeship and secured a permanent position with Grays Fitted Furniture in Drayton. Managing Director of Grays, Mike Cooper says, “It’s a positive confirmation of just how the teamwork between local business and Broadland Council Training Services (BCTS), supporting the Apprenticeship programme can have a massive influence on the future of young people.”Grays have been an established manufacturer and installer of made to measure kitchens, bedrooms and studies for forty years but this is the first time they have become involved in the apprenticeship scheme. Mike Cooper believes the whole process has been mutually beneficial. “The tutors at Broadland have provided both Charlie and ourselves with excellent mentoring and support. The outcome is that we have acquired a well trained and motivated member of staff who fits in with other colleagues and is proving an asset to the business.” With positive
Apprenticeship Success
Broadland Council Training Services www.broadland.gov.uk/trainingcourses
0800 389 1113 The current economic climate has brought the difficulties of securing work for school leavers into sharp focus so it is always heartening to hear stories of success and achievement. After 8 months of hard work Charlie Paterson 19, has completed his apprenticeship and secured a permanent position with Grays Fitted Furniture in Drayton. Managing Director of Grays, Mike Cooper says, “It’s a positive confirmation of just how the teamwork between local business and Broadland Council Training Services (BCTS), supporting the Apprenticeship programme can have a massive influence on the future of young people.”Grays have been an established manufacturer and installer of made to measure kitchens, bedrooms and studies for forty years but this is the first time they have become involved in the apprenticeship scheme. Mike Cooper believes the whole process has been mutually beneficial. “The tutors at Broadland have provided both Charlie and ourselves with excellent mentoring and support. The outcome is that we have acquired a well trained and motivated member of staff who fits in with other colleagues and is proving an asset to the business.” With positive
experience that the scheme really does work, Mike is confident that the business would consider being involved again if the opportunity arose. Centre Manager of BCTS, Sharon Money endorses the importance of working in partnership with business. She states, “BCTS aims to provide a high quality learner and employer focussed package of support backed up by a team of very professional, vocationally competent and caring staff.” Sharon gives particular mention to the hard work of tutor Sarah Bell who supported Charlie on a one to one basis. Functional skills tutor Michaela O Hara and Training Officer Anna Kingman also played an instrumental part in the programme’s success.If you need evidence of the impact this scheme has on the lives of young people, look no further than Charlie whose future looks bright. He says “I’m really happy with my progress and enjoyed completing all my projects. It’s great to be part of the Grays team and I’m looking forward to learning new skills.”To find out more about how an apprenticeship can benefit your business, please call Pippa Bennett, Recruitment and Development Officer at BCTS on 01603 785837.
Apprenticeship Success
Run Your Business From Your iPhone
LEAP magazine: apps
Eventbrite.co.uk 6/10 - a ticketing operator that you can put your events on; it sells the tickets for you and manages it all online. You can print off a register of attendees and embed the Eventbrite button into your website so that users can click through to the Eventbrite site and buy a ticket for your event. I’ve found it useful for my workshops as it means that I can just set up the tickets, how many I want to sell, the price and details of the dates and
times plus more information and Eventbrite does all the rest. It also means that customers looking for an event can go to Eventbrite and search for it in their area to find you and your website.
You can change the colours of the Eventbrite page so that it matches the style of your website to create a smoother feel. And it also has a stats information page so you can see who’s looking and who’s buying and how they find
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Run Your Business From Your iPhone
Sally-Anne Brown Happy Bee Companythehappybeecompany.co.uk
you. The only downside is that this originated from the US and occasionally I end up in Norfolk Virginia.
MyBizTracker 7/10 - a simple app that helps you keep track of income and expenses. It also has useful links through to HMRC about how much tax you would have to pay on the income and you can also export the data via an email with a csv document. I find this useful for keeping track of my petty cash. If you like things to be kept simple then this is just great. You can zero the balance
at any time so if you just want to keep track of your income / outgoings for a day (if you’re running a stall for example) then this works really well.
Cardcloud 8/10 - an e-business card. So, if you ever get caught out and run out of business cards this one is available to email or better still share via bluetooth. The best bit about giving out cards this way? You have to ask for the contact’s email address so you can keep track of who you’ve spoken to. It keeps a track of your contacts, how many cards you’ve shared and your activity. On the e-business card itself when you send it, it includes not only your email and website address but also has Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook buttons so that contacts can follow you. It also has other social ‘follows’ you can choose from if you’ve got them - such as Skype, Flickr, Tumblr, YouTube and Soundcloud to name a few. I can’t find a fault with this app so far other than I just feel it has potential to do soooooo much more. Like adapt the colouring, style and font to really personalise your e-card the same way you would your hardcopy business cards.
QR Code Generator 7/10 - everyone has one and you can too! This code maker will give you a QR code that you can assign
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LEAP magazine: apps
to any URL - your website, a particular page in your website or even a phone number. It then saves it to your photo stream from where you can email it, print it or use iTunes to transfer it to your laptop and paste it on your website. Afterwards, you can do what you want with it like add the image to adverts and business cards. My only gripe with this one is that when I print out the image from my iPhone - for some reason it misses off the first few mm’s of the QR code and so it won’t scan... It does works when I email the image to myself and then print it off from my computer. Here’s my QR code now.
And of course then there’s Scan - a QR code scanner for you to read the QR code you’ve just created!
Postie 10/10 - Star App - if you’re posting off parcels get this app. Postie calculates the postage for your letters and parcels home and abroad by selecting where you want to send it, the weight and which size your letter / parcel fits into. If your scales are half decent it is accurate to a penny. I’ve tested it several times and it’s never been wrong - it updates when the postage rates change and is so useful for those using eBay or Amazon to sell their wares.
Sally-Anne Brown Happy Bee Companythehappybeecompany.co.uk
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Questioning Skills
LEAP magazine: networking
Do you enjoy networking events? Do you relish opportunities to meet new people, learn about them and promote ways you can help them? No? Then this is for you...
Some associates once ran a training event “Networking for the Terrified!” and were swamped with delegates. I know many of you find yourself at the doorway to a roomful of strangers (or colleagues) and feel like Indiana Jones descending into a Viper Pit! There’s an easy way to turn vipers into pussycats that purr... simply brush-up your Questioning Skills.
I had six honest serving men, they taught me all I knew, their names are WHAT & WHY & WHEN & HOW & WHERE & WHO.
So said Rudyard Kipling - not the guy who makes exceedingly good cakes! Start a sentence with one of those words and it is likely to be an “open question”. Heard of those before? That’s right, they encourage people to
Questioning Skills
Chris Liles suggests strategies to overcome your business relationships “challenges”.
Chris Liles Business Relationship Mentor www.liles.co.uk [email protected]
07885 25 35 25
answer with more than a single word (or grunt!). So, do you use them consciously to start new business relationships? I strongly recommend you do so.
I am sure you can all sidle up to a stranger in a networking situation, extend your hand and say “Hello, I’m Sid Snot (substitute your own name here preferably), may I ask your name?” The reply could be “I’m Keane Toobuy from Snatchit & Runn plc”. So far so good, but I sense your blood chilling, what do you say now?!
Easy, think of a relevant subject you may have in common e.g. the event is held in an unusual venue. Then run
Find out more about Chris
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the important part of Kipling’s rhyme through your mind (What & Why etc) “WHAT do you think of this cattle shed?” WHY do you think we are meeting in a cattle shed?” etc. Then select the sentence that fits best.
“Open” questions usually encourage more than a single word response. I recall
overhearing at a party a man grilling a lady with closed questions: “Good holiday this year?” + “Go abroad?” + “Was it hot” + “Enjoy it?” and so on. Each one simply extracted a “Yes” or “No” answer from the victim and the man walked away saying “She’s damn hard work to talk to!”
LEAP magazine: networking
WHAT WHY WHEN
HOW WHERE WHO
Kipling would have said: “HOW was your holiday this year?” + “WHAT was Bali like?” + “WHY were you arrested?” Then the lady would have been chatting animatedly whilst he was carefully composing the next open question in his mind. Buying time like that is a stress-reducing by-product of open questions.
To help your confidence, here are some typical open questions that I use when growing my own business via networking: • What line of business does Snatchit & Runn specialise in,
Keane? (Always remember and periodically use the person’s name - this is vital for relationship building)
• What does your role comprise?• Why did you join Snatchit & Runn, Keane?• How do you organise your staff training?The trick is to keep them talking as long as possible, whilst you
are learning everything you need to know about their organisation. You will find people usually talk quite freely to someone who seems genuinely interested in them.
So tonight why not practise open questioning on your partner. “HOW was your day, Dear?” and “WHY do you say it was cr*p?” etc. Practising on your family and colleagues will boost your social confidence and knowledge about them. Soon you will be ready to launch happily into your next Viper Pit only to discover it is simply filled with future friends waiting to meet you.
Chris Liles Business Relationship Mentor www.liles.co.uk [email protected]
07885 25 35 25
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As I read (or choose not to read!) the Press, it occurs to me, more so than ever, that a key characteristic of thriving and just as importantly, happy business people, is resilience - resilience against the continual onslaught of negative economic news, as well as the pressures of running their businesses.
So what is resilience? We have all heard of the individuals who have survived great adversity, be it those that survived the concentration camps, lost a loved one or experienced a severe
Resilience:A Way of Thinking
LEAP magazine: motivation
“Brace yourself for a triple dip recession”… “UK economy will contract next year”... “The Eurozone crisis”… The headlines continue to scream at us…
Suzanne Crouch Eos Programme www.eosprogramme.com Personal Development for Women
0843 523 5373 [email protected]
disability, but somehow they have emerged from their life-changing experiences stronger in mind and spirit. Well this is resilience. Resilience refers to the ability to ‘bounce back’ from adversity.
Being resilient does not mean that a person doesn’t experience difficulty or distress. Being resilient means that when you experience such difficulty or distress, you are still able to work towards changing areas of your life constructively. You are able to use the adverse experience to provide insight into what is important to you and you are motivated to pursue these goals and values. In fact being resilient does not mean that you ‘bounce back’ to the place that you were but rather it enables you to tackle your adversity and acts as a catalyst for your own personal change.
The great news is that resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviours, thoughts and emotional responses that can be learned and developed in anyone.
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Develop solid foundations – Good relationships with close family members, friends, or others are vital during difficult times and important to your resilience. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you strengthens your ability to survive and to thrive during adversity.
Nurture a positive view of yourself – This is the time to reinforce and nurture your confidence, to develop your belief in your ability to solve problems and to trust your instincts; understanding that you do have these skills helps to build your resilience. Where do you find these strengths? Well, focusing on past experiences can help you identify resilient
attitudes and behaviours that you already have. Your strengths can be found in the daily activities that you undertake, and yet are probably dismissed as you ‘just getting on with it’.
Distinguish between what is within and outside of your control – Determine what is within your control and direct your attention towards these things. Take decisive actions on these areas. Not only will this begin to chip away at the problems you face, but importantly you will begin to re-assert a sense of control over the situation, you will feel more motivated and resourceful.
Accept that change is a part of life – Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result
LEAP magazine: motivation
Suzanne Crouch Eos Programme www.eosprogramme.com Personal Development for Women
0843 523 5373 [email protected]
of adverse situations. Accept that some circumstances cannot be changed. This can help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.
Choose your perspective – You can’t change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events. Resilient people recognise the power of perspective, and understand that they can actually choose the perspective they generate on any given situation. Avoid choosing to see crises as insurmountable problems because after all, in Chinese Mandarin, a crisis is ‘an opportunity riding a dangerous wind’…
As you emerge from your own personal challenge or adversity, learn from it – every experience has something to offer us in our life-long project of building and maintaining our resilience and will leave us stronger when we are next faced with adversity.
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The Secret of Success is….
LEAP magazine: success
Many articles and books offer the secrets to success in business, life, love etc. We read them hoping to glean that nugget that will make all the difference to our lives and our businesses, the key that will turn everything around and give us the life, love and business of our dreams. In reality though, whilst at best we might pick up a tip or two, even then unless we take action there will be no change.
I have a proposition for you. What if there aren’t any secrets? What if you already have the key ingredient you need to be successful? Would you be disappointed or relieved? If we are looking for the business equivalent of a knight on a white charger then I’m guessing there will be disappointment. Perhaps we would like an easy way out, a shortcut, but in our hearts most of us really know that sustained success doesn’t happen that way, even if some articles and books would like to entice us with headline grabbing suggestions to the contrary.
Most of us have been taught from a very young age to follow the rules of society; we are used to being told what to do and say
The Secret of Success is….
Sara Gibbons ASEA01692 400 913
www.helpyourcellves.teamasea.com
and how to behave in order to be acceptable. If we are acceptable in society we are in. If we are not acceptable in society’s eyes we are out. This can generate a lot of fear. Few of us as children were given the freedom in our lives to follow our true feelings. As a consequence we may fear hurting other people, being judged by them and not being accepted by them. We may worry about being seen as a failure in others and our own eyes. Even people who rebel against the rules still feel their power and so find it hard to
bring balance into their lives as they feel the need to react. This can hold us back and keeps us small, or have us moving, often randomly, from one thing to another. How can we break free, follow our intuition and be the consistent success we want to be when we find it so hard to be our true selves?
Following our intuition isn’t the same as riding roughshod over anyone seemingly in our way, neither is it about being dishonest or cruel, behaviour which can come from a feeling of not being good enough or there not being enough to go
Find out more about Sara
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around for everyone, especially us! Intuition is about being true to ourselves, listening to ourselves and our feelings, and acting upon them. Many of the most successful people really follow their own intuition, often doggedly, against the opinions and judgements of some of those closest to them. They are persistent in following their own direction and are prepared to break out from what is often expected of them. That doesn’t mean disregarding what others say, but it does mean listening to our own response to it as well. For example a word of warning well meant from a relative or friend may possibly be that persons own fear speaking; that is to say they are telling you about the worries that they themselves would have in your situation. If you listen to that and make it your own it will keep you stuck. Reacting against it will not be necessarily the best path either. No-one is successful alone; we all need others along the way. When we are really listening to ourselves we know who to take notice of and who to politely thank and move on.
So the real secret of success is you, the true you, the you that knows better than anyone else what is best for you and your business if for no other reason than because you live with yourself all the time. Get to know the real you, not the false small you or reacting you, and you will have a success guide for life.
I wish you much success.
LEAP magazine: success
112/114 Thorpe Road, Norwich, NR1 1RXt: 01603 763533 m: 07590 577581 e: [email protected]
w: www.streetview-marketing.co.uk
Original Photograph by David Street: Thurne, Norfolk Broads, 2010
We are a marketing and design agency basedin Norwich. We have over 35 years ofmarketing experience and won't give you aload of hype, just good common-sensethinking, marketing, creative design and digitalwork that hits the target.
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For further information please contactDavid Street.
For growing ideas...
Last month Break launched GoGoGorillas! bringing a world-class mass public appeal art event to Norwich in 2013. Working with Wild in Art and The Born Free Foundation, the aim is to bring an event to Norwich that will not only see an increase in visitors to our fine City, but the involvement of the local community.
The launch today was the first part of a year’s campaign to bring these fine creatures to Norwich and to ask companies and artists to get involved.
Nelson is the Break gorilla, he
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Remember the Elephants? The Gorillas Are Coming to Norwich!
LEAP magazine: Norwich
epitomises the City of Norwich and environs and is the work of local artist, Mik Richardson.
The Gorilla trail will take place for 10 weeks during the summer of 2013 and will encourage thousands of people to discover and re-discover the City of Norwich, provide community and education projects and highlight environmental issues and the plight of one of the world’s most endangered species.
Not only that, GoGoGorillas! will enable significant fundraising opportunities
with each gorilla being sold at auction following the event, with 75% of the net proceeds being donated to Break and The Born Free Foundation.
The Gorilla sculptures will showcase the creativity of Norwich, its heritage, architecture, regeneration and its prolific art scene. Created by local and regional professional artists, community groups and schools, GoGoGorillas! will animate the streets, parks and open spaces of Norwich creating a memorable landscape for all to see.
The project is about partnerships and aims to bring together the business and creative sectors with the local community, making this a wonderful opportunity for companies and groups to work with a local charity in a project which will positively contribute to the economic, cultural and social life of the City, engender civic pride, stimulate the local economy and create 10 weeks of fun for everyone.
To sponsor a gorilla, contact Martin Green, at Break, on 01603 670107 or email [email protected]. Bespoke packages available, so give him a call.
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LEAP magazine: Norwich
@BusinessSkillsCwww.businessskillsclinic.cominfo@businessskillsclinic.com This project is financed by the European Union.
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Business planning per se is something that so many business owners will run a mile from; let’s face it, business planning (for the majority) is next in line to finding time in the diary for your next dental check-up!
I used to be shocked at the number of people I met who would eventually admit, through clenched teeth or in hushed tones that actually they have no real business plan in place. Frequently this admission would result from my obvious question, “so what sort of Marketing Plan are you working to at the moment?”.
Apart from not having a marketing plan the majority of business owners I’ve met actually don’t have any type of business plan at all. Those that do are either the more serious start-ups, who write a plan because their friendly bank manager has told them he/she needs one, or in the rarest of cases, they are actually aware that every good business needs some form of plan.
So why should it be that so many SME’s will work hard to ignore this essential business tool? Well, I believe it’s for these reasons;
a) they really don’t know where the business is going, so writing
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Forget the Long-Term Plan!
LEAP magazine: business planning
Forget the Long-Term Plan!
Nial Adams Push to Playwww.pushtoplay.co.uk
0843 289 4082 @nialadams
a 3-year plan makes about as much sense as planning to colonise an as yet undiscovered planet,
b) writing a plan feels a bit like writing down goals; it means you have a measure of success or perhaps failure, and
c) they simply don’t know where to start or how to actually construct a business or marketing plan.
Yes, goal setting in any form can mean you need to commit and that’s the whole point. The great thing is that this is a commitment you make to yourself above everyone
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else. Remember that the first person’s judgement you should trust in your business is actually your own. Focus on what you want from your business above the needs and wants of others and you’ll truly be in control. As to knowing how to write a plan; there is no shortage of knowledge or help out there and much of it is free. Google business plan template and you’ll find more resources than you’ll ever need. Of course the other option is to find a trusted advisor who can help with this; there are plenty of talented and experienced business coaches out there to help you (and The PUSH Academy provides a structured course on this).
So how do you overcome this fact that three, five or ten years is a very long time and how can you write a meaningful plan for this? Well simple, I’d say don’t! I’ve seen medium and
LEAP magazine: business planning
long-term plans that sound great but in truth have very little practical value. As every good military officer is taught “no battle plan survives first contact”, in other word, you can plan your battle strategy to the finest degree but when the bullets start flying that brilliant plan will probably all go out the window. You’ll be working on intuition, experience and your ability to assess the situation and make fast, confident decisions. Business is pretty much the same and it can sometimes be a real battle!
One hugely beneficial concept my mentor shared with me was that of short-term planning. Being realistic, there is little point in trying to predict what the world will look like in three years’ time, let alone the next ten. The recent past has been a stark example of this. So don’t start with
Nial Adams Push to Playwww.pushtoplay.co.uk
0843 289 4082 @nialadams
medium and long-term plans, start with the short ones. I have seen the value of ’90-day Business Plans’ and would highly recommend this strategy to you. Forget working out where you’ll position your National Head Office in South America in 2018, work out what
you need to achieve in the next 90 days – right here, right now.
This strategy works for very simple reasons; it brings your
attention to what matters today, and in case you hadn’t noticed we all tend to live in ‘today’ and it’s the now that is only really ever
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LEAP magazine: business planning
Nial started his very first business at the age of 19 and found out, the hard way, that not all the answers are in the books! Working in the security training industry it was hard for a young guy to make his presence felt; so a solid knowledge of marketing was essential. Learning the ropes from the ground up Nial was able to apply and develop marketing strategies that really worked and began to welcome business success. After a period in Corporate Life (finance), Nial moved into the world of Franchising and again began to learn about what makes small businesses really tick. Today he is co-founder of The PUSH, a Business Consultancy. He is also Principal Tutor of The PUSH Academy and works as a Business Growth Specialist. His real-world strategies have helped thousands of business owners get focus and produce results that put money in the bank.
relevant to us. It also means you will have a much greater sense of focus. You can plan with the resources that are at your fingertips now, the people you work with now and what’s relevant to your clients right now.
So here’s my challenge to you for today; in under 1000 words (or a lot less ideally) write down what you actually want and need to achieve in your business within the next 90 days.
A great phrase I have learned that will help you with this, and one you need to keep constantly in mind is “what would have to happen for me to…” This style of thinking works because it’s realistic, it deals with what you actually have as resources and above all it creates fast action. Try it and see your business focus sharpen!
Nial Adams Push to Playwww.pushtoplay.co.uk
0843 289 4082 @nialadams
Nial started his very first business at the age of 19 and found out, the hard way, that not all the answers are in the books! Working in the security training industry it was hard for a young guy to make his presence felt; so a solid knowledge of marketing was essential. Learning the ropes from the ground up Nial was able to apply and develop marketing strategies that really worked and began to welcome business success. After a period in Corporate Life (finance), Nial moved into the world of Franchising and again began to learn about what makes small businesses really tick. Today he is co-founder of The PUSH, a Business Consultancy. He is also Principal Tutor of The PUSH Academy and works as a Business Growth Specialist. His real-world strategies have helped thousands of business owners get focus and produce results that put money in the bank.
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