Your One-Page Business Plan

As a business leader, you are faced with making the choice between working in the business and working on the business. Finding the time to take your ideas, your aspirations, and turning them into results can be a challenge. Creating a focused action plan is one of the first steps leaders use to get from here to there.

Business transformation and the need for strategic growth is no longer a once-in-a-lifetime event. Rather, it has become an ongoing reality. With changes to market conditions and client expectations, leaders can no longer wait and hope things will improve on their own.

Take action — lead a dual strategy

Accelerating your business may include doing “more of the same,” as well as adding some new services to your approach. Operating this dual strategy requires careful planning. Begin by creating the steps that spell out success for your business. Identify the objectives and milestones, and who will help you along the way. This can be an opportunity to define where you are today, where you want to go, and align your team around the actions needed to accomplish the goal.

The need for strategic planning has never been more important. At times though, the magnitude of documents the planning process can produce can become an impediment to making progress. One way to overcome this is to create a one-page business plan.

Elements of a one-page plan

A one-page business plan takes the key objectives from your strategic planning process and carefully lays it out on one page. In my version of the one-page business plan, there are five key elements. It begins by laying out the vision and mission statements for the business. This literally comes directly from your strategic planning documents.

The third section focuses on objectives that need to be met in order to achieve the goal. These can be broken down into level one, level two, and level three priorities. Objectives are followed by strategies. What are the key levers that will allow you to build on the organization’s strengths going forward. Finally, the fifth section outlines the tactics that you will execute over the next 90 days. Update your plan every 90 days with updates and action items that will keep you on track.

Juggling your time

Once you get started, you may find it’s harder than it looks. It would be easier to spell it out over the course of five, six pages or more. Whittling it down to one page makes you focus, and work on the things that you can accomplish in the next 90 days that will help you to reach your goals.

Remember, this is a one-page business plan. You’ll need to prioritize, and carefully articulate only the most important aspects necessary to accomplish your goals. As you’re juggling your time working in the business and working on the business, you’ll need a guide that is precise, direct, and easy to use.

Mike Philie can help validate what’s working and what may need to change in your business. Changing the trajectory of a business is difficult to do while simultaneously operating the core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic advice, not being afraid to voice the unpopular opinion and helping leaders navigate change through a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email at mphilie@philiegroup.com.