Here’s something I tell business owners all the time… “your business is like a shed”.
Whaaaat??!!
Read on for the explanation…
If I asked you to build a shed, what would you do? You would do what you do with any project, right? You’d get a picture of what the shed is supposed to look like. You’d look at the plans and follow the instructions. You’d get the right tools ready and you might even find someone else to help you build it, someone with better expertise in this type of construction.
The key distinction here is when you’re building a shed you know what it looks like, it’s a project. And a business is a project too, albeit a fairly long one. It’s not something that’s going to go on forever. It’s going to have an end. Just like any project, if you know what the end looks like you can devise the plan to get there. It’s a simple concept really but so many people don’t start a business that way. The majority start a business with no idea where it’s going. As a result a lot of valuable time is lost following strategies and tactics that are not leading to the ultimate goal… to build a business that works without YOU.
So get your picture clear. What does your shed look like? When your business fulfils all of your dreams for it, what makes it so amazing? Who are your customers? What is your team like? What does your office look like? What’s so special about it? Why do people love working there? What makes it irresistible to clients and team members alike? What makes your business a head and shoulders above the rest?
The clearer the picture of your future business you have, the better your chance of building it just like that.
Liber8ing Exercise for today: Spend 15 minutes with a blank sheet of paper and draw a picture (with words or diagrams) of what your business might look like in 5 or 1o years time. Then think about the tools you might need to get on board today to help get there.
Have fun!
PS. For more guidance on creating a clear end picture for your business, my book Liber8 your Business offers a step by step guide
From the desk of Liber8me. Business mentors and publisher of the book Liber8 your Business: The revolutionary business planning technique that will set every small business owner free