Why Strategic Planning Now For Your Small Business Can Mean A Happy New Year!

‘Tis the season for holiday cheer. A time to enjoy family, friends, good food, presents and more.  And for many small business owners, it’s a time to reflect on months gone by. The things we’ve done right, the things we’ve done wrong, and especially those things we said we were going to do, but never did.

But this year, close of business will be different.

This year, we’re going to plan, set goals, and most importantly, establish ‘complete by dates’ for 2014.

Why?  Because the best plans are of little use if there are no actions to drive them.  And the best actions are mere exercises if there’s no reward of accomplishment.

Over the next few days, in between opening gifts and sipping egg nog, take a little time to map out where you are in business now and where you hope to be, at least through first quarter next year.

Then, list the steps you’ll need to get you there, being deliberate about setting non-negotiable completion dates.

And if you find that keeping deadlines are a challenge for you, ask someone you trust to serve as your accountability partner, keeping the goals before you and reminding you of your commitment.

But as important as strategic planning is, the last two weeks of the year can’t be all work. As a gift to you, I hope you’ll accept my permission to enjoy your downtime, if you have it.  It’s a time of reflection, appreciation, and replenishment.

Brene Brown, PhD, author of Daring Greatly and The Gifts of Imperfection, mentions in the January 2014 issue of O Magazine that she has transformed her way of thinking about downtime, resolving not to base her self-worth only on productivity. But to allow time for play – a time of doing things just because they’re fun, not because they help achieve a goal.

And from this play comes one of the best gifts a business owner could ever ask for, a mental clearing in which ideas are born.

Enjoy a happy and safe holiday season.

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