Published: 2007 NW Women’s Directory
RE-ASSESSING YOUR BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
We’ve all heard the disheartening statistics of how many small businesses don’t make it past the first couple of years. So, if you’ve made it through this first hurdle – congratulations! But if it’s been awhile since you really thought about why you’re in business and where you are now compared to where you’d like to be, perhaps it’s time for you to step back and re-assess your business objectives.
Most of us already have learned that it’s not enough just to work hard and hope you make it. Successful businesses are those whose owners recognize the importance of beginning with the end in mind. Great businesses “decide” their future. They are not dictated by it. They know exactly where they want to be, when they want to be there and how they’re going to get there.
What decisions have you made about your business future? What do you need to decide differently to be even more successful? While there have been volumes written on how to succeed in business, here are two habits you can develop immediately to ensure your success:
- Develop a working business plan – Write down your ultimate goal and then work backwards to set specific intermediate goals. This becomes your road map on how to get from “where you are now” to “where you want to go”. Remember, this is a “working” plan, so you will need to monitor your progress annually and make adjustments as you go, based on your experience and actual results.
- Develop a proactive business team – You will be more successful if you maintain a working relationship with a CPA, a business attorney, and various other professionals who can provide you with the expertise and experience you may not have within your own organization.
These two deceptively simple yet very powerful habits will make a dramatic difference in the success of your business!
