Business Planning

My original 3 year business plan gave me a turnover of

lol. I would love my own island... (sigh).

Ok, how about this question; how many plans have you thought about that you would like to use in one business, but ended up using in another, or different venture?

Everytime I think of a new business plan, along comes Google and wrecks it with a flick of a switch...

Yup thats pretty much where my thought process went. So the trick is build a non Google reliant business

Quite a few ideas that I would have loved to do with MLS but aren't viable, but hopefully will be able to do in the future.

Today, I barely find a business that doesn't rely on Google. :wink:

It's just a hype created for no reason. Even start-up businesses can rank really well in the SERPs provided they adopt the right strategies. Most businesses fail to spot the opportunities that lay ahead of them for a simple fact that they are more focused on targeting for the top keywords, I mean the most competitive keywords.

Most businesses would give up when they are just 1% away from success.

Now, in this case if a newbie business starts with targeting the keywords with low competition, wouldn't the chances of sale (for example) increase, it definitely would. But in reality people go the harder way and run behind something that'd take time to reach.

So, 50% of the total efforts should be allotted to research, this is one of the crucial steps in an effective business planning.

I make it a point to boost the moral of newbie entrepreneurs and show them the other side of the coin. It does increase competition, but if there's no competition, there's no scope for innovation.

I don't seem to have a problem with ideas - time is the main factor. Before you know it the day is drawing to an end and your "to do list" is longer than it was at the start of the day!
Employing good staff I think is vital - when you can afford to do so and also when you can identify good calibre people.....
My plans seem to shift over time when I find out more about the business I'm in and the related ideas......

We use a goal setting tool that presents components of goals as 100% circle, that way it is very easy to if you spend more effort / time here you haveeto give up some somewhere else.

We use it for everything, business strategy, project plans, marketing planning, documenting concepts, setting objectives ... so many uses

Easier to explain if you see it in action. Although the example I have to hand isn't so much a business plan, but interpretation of a law, but of course you can use such diagram techniques for anything that is a 'whole' that is made up of 'parts'

Please take a look at my example here

The software is available on 14 day trail in desktop or cloud versions.
Visual Goal Management Software - Goalscape

I took a quick peek at the software, must admit it looks really good. Not sure how it would work with a smaller group like one or two people though, would it be financially viable to use that do you think? Its a bit like (or maybe not 100%) mindmeister with the time frame added to it, and maybe even using both would be a good idea so that things don't slip through the cracks?

I haven't looked at mindmeister, I'll have a look at that first before I can comment and similarities.

I think it actaully works very well with small groups, we often used it just between two people (e.g. me and my marketing director ) to decide on strategy and measure progress.

FOr someone working alone, it could be effective, but if there is no one to communicate with (at all) then I can't see the point. But for instance, we have used it in the past (when we use to offer SEO / Adwords services ) as a way of reporting to our clients. That was pretty much 1 analyst on their own, but someone to communicate with.