If you own or manage a business and it’s not going as well as you had hoped so far, I can guarantee you that you can turn it around in the next 12 months… permitting you:
- Offer services and/or products that enough people actually really want and/or need (as in, there is ‘demand’).
- Follow the steps in this initial blog article (below)
- Then reach out to gain further assistance
One of the very first activities to do is revisit your Business Plan. If you don’t have one (and even if you do), writing really considered answers to specific questions is key. I provide these questions in this MS Word document that you can download and use. Doing this activity will help you assemble what I call a ‘Working Business Plan’… which is a VERY, VERY useful thing to have for ANY business!
Turning your business around starts with going back to the foundations:
- Your Business Plan
- Your market research
- Documenting your plans
- Document your goals: 12 month, 2 year, 3 year, 5 year, 10 year, etc.
- Write down any concerns, challenges and problems you are currently having in your business. [A MS Word doc you can use is here]
- Your ideal customers
- Your Marketing Plan
- Your Growth Plan
- and a few others
- Reviewing all the above-mentioned items regularly.
Once you get these done, and done right, then it’s on to addressing your market positioning, your branding, how much you are charging (and what you should be charging), and other things.
I know not everyone finds doing foundational work like this to be enjoyable. I also know writing things down (and/or typing) isn’t something everyone enjoys either. BUT no one said every activity in business is enjoyable! EVERY business though that has achieved success (and lasting success) in the last 20 years or so, has done the fundamentals correctly.
Two things to also remember:
- “If you work for everyone, you work for no one.” You must choose customers who are going to be a good fit.
- “Failure to plan is a plan to fail”.
Related reading:
- Some Tips to Help Increase Revenue and Profitability in Your Small Business
- 8 Ways to Grow Your Business Quickly
Jay Daniells has been doing advanced Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) work for clients since 2010. He is an SEO specialist. He first started doing SEO work in 2005. He has also been creating websites full-time since 2003. Amongst things Jay is also a graphic designer, digital marketing consultant and creative person. His focus is helping businesses, community groups, clubs, charities, organisations and other entities achieve their goals. He is the owner of Green Valley Digital.