December 16, 2024

Why “HOW BIG” Should Be Your First Business Planning Question

Why “HOW BIG” Should Be Your First Business Planning Question

Traditional business planning often feels like a broken record.

You analyze your strengths and weaknesses, craft a direction, set goals, then massage the numbers until they appease the higher-ups.

But the approach I created (and was successful in driving a startup to A BILLION IN SALES) prioritizes financial goals as the starting point in building a strategy.

Here’s a new way to start: decide HOW BIG you want to be.

This seemingly simple question, HOW BIG? is the lynchpin of a more effective planning process.

Here’s why:

Financial Goals Drive Strategy — Traditionally, financial results come after the strategy.

But what if you flipped it? Setting ambitious growth goals (25% vs 10%) forces you to develop a bolder strategy with different tactics.

Think of new markets, strategic partnerships, or innovative marketing approaches.

Stretch Goals Spark Creativity — Setting a ‘realistic’ goal won’t push you to innovate.

Your HOW BIG target should make you sweat a little. It should force you out of your comfort zone and into creative problem-solving.

24 Months, Not 5 Years — The world changes fast.
Long-term plans create a false sense of security and can delay necessary actions.

Focus on a 24-month window that allows for agility and responsiveness to unforeseen events.

How to Craft Your HOW BIG Goal

▪️Push for Boldness: Don’t settle for a target you can achieve with business-as-usual. Aim high and force yourself to get creative.

▪️Embrace Discomfort: Your HOW BIG goal should feel risky. It’s supposed to push you outside your comfort zone.

▪️Focus on Intent: This is a declaration of ambition, not a detailed roadmap. You’ll figure out the “HOW” later. It will drive you to innovate.

▪️Challenge Trends: Don’t just project past performance. Disruption is the name of the game.

By prioritizing your HOW BIG ambition, you create a strategic plan that fosters innovation and positions you for real growth.

Cheers,
Roy
My Podcast Show My Podcast Show Audacious Moves to A BILLION shares the specific Moves I made to achieve jaw-dropping growth in an insanely competitive internet business.

”The Audacious Unheard of Ways I Took a Startup to A BILLION IN SALES” is the latest in my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series.

• Posted 12.16.24 at 06:00 am by Roy Osing
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