Roy's Blog: October 2013

October 21, 2013

Why ‘heading west’ makes a really good business plan


Source: Pexels

Why ‘heading west’ makes a really good business plan.

‘Let’s head west’ might not be seen by many to be a sound business plan.

After all, it is a rather a vague goal; a foggy picture of what it will look like when the destination is reached.

That said, I suggest that it is a meaningful outcome to achieve, because it is impossible to see what the eventual outcome looks like when it is declared.

There are too many unpredictable variables impossible to account for up front will come into play once the journey ‘west’ is undertaken.

Economic fluctuations. New competitive moves. Changing customer demands. New disruptive technologies.

All are impossible to define when a business plan strategy is formulated.

And in fact it is unproductive to spend copious amounts of time trying to account for the random and unpredictable events that will hit you upfront when the strategy is being developed.

The best approach is to develop strategy as best as you can based on what you understand and know for certain today.

Get it just about right and start implementing it.

And be open to refining it as you move forward and learn how the execution of the strategy is going.

The execution component will determine the eventual outcome; the strategic destination.

A strategy-in-motion is the only way to achieve the outcome you are destined to achieve.

Be ok with ‘west’ as your direction and pour your energy into execution and you might eventually discover that Vancouver was the place you were destined for all the while.

You just didn’t know it when your journey began.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

  • Posted 10.21.13 at 05:34 am by Roy Osing
  • Permalink

October 7, 2013

Why an amazing business plan is ‘just about right’ and always changing


Source: Unsplash

Why an amazing business plan is ‘just about right’ and always changing.

A good business plan starts out with a specific goal.

“We will grow our revenue by 50% over the next 24 months by serving Pharmacies in Ontario. We will win their business everyday by being the ONLY company that grows THEIR revenue.”

Pretty specific. Growth goal defined. Target customers identified. Unique value proposition claimed.

We’re done, right?

Wrong. It’s just the beginning.

A business plan has to be alive.

Even though it is expressed in specific terms, it should be considered directional in nature, open to unpredictable events that might require it to change.

A good business plan is ‘just about right’ and always ‘in-motion’

If you consider your work done once you have articulated your destination, you are in a precarious and risky position.

Show me your business plan document.

Does it have coffee stains on it? Blood stains from a paper cut?

Notes scribbled all over it? Parts of it highlighted?

If ‘none of the above’ is your answer, your strategy is not in-motion.

And it probably is not advancing the way you expect.

A great business plan is just about right and always on the move.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

  • Posted 10.7.13 at 06:45 am by Roy Osing
  • Permalink