Whenever Fall rolls around I start having flashbacks to my corporate days where most of the fourth quarter would be spent nailing down budgets and plans for the coming year. A big part of that exercise was to recap how the year went and if we met our goals.

Usually we found some major holes as because we simply didn’t have a crystal ball when we did our planning. Which is why I’m not a fan of attempting to plan out strategies and tactics for an entire year for my business, or my client’s businesses.

The truth is that we need wiggle room. We need to be able to test and correct as the year goes on, or address changing business realities.

The last thing anyone needs is a plan that simply makes you feel bad every time you look at it. It should invigorate and inspire you, not send you into a spiral of despair.

You Still Need a Plan, Just Not the Plan You Think

You still need a plan. But you need to create something more dynamic and functional that addresses your short, mid and long-term needs, wants and desires. Which is where exercises like the Painted Picture come in, along with short-term 90-day plans that keep you on track.

90-day plans are an integral part of my Freshly Implemented program as it helps each participant move past the vision (the why) or specific goals (the what) to the actual how of making it happen. Your vision won’t add up to much if you don’t break it down into bite-sized chunks. Everyday actions are what help you get to the big picture goals.

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world. – Joel A. Barker

While it may seem too tactical or simple, I’ve watched the magic of the 90-day plan in action happen over and over again for individuals in the last two rounds of Freshly Implemented. Instead of trying to eat the elephant, people were able to build things in a way that were natural and logical, while meeting their immediate needs.

It’s just too flippin’ easy to get focused at the macro level and skip over what you really need RIGHT now from time to build your audience or community to bringing in revenue this month.

Cue the frustration or drama because that big ol’ vision seems so far away, next thing you know, you consider quitting or changing directions. (Which I’m willing to bet is a major reason small businesses have such a high failure rate.)

Or maybe you find yourself doing things that are majorly icky and are seriously out of alignment because you’re desperate to meet a goal that truly makes no sense based on where you are in your business. While I love a stretch goal, there’s a point at which the goal is so out of whack that it can ruin your business. By taking the time to break it down and really figure out what’s involved day-to-day and what you truly need, you can save yourself from creating a situation where you turn into someone that’s all hustle and no heart.

If you’re ready to create a new approach to implementing business practices and creating a plan for lasting success, I’d love to have you join us in this round of Freshly Implemented.  Consider this your invitation to chat with me to see if this program is a fit for you.