Strategic Planning | Teik Oh

A Business Plan From A Few Simple Questions

Apr 04 2017

Let’s start with the premise that you need a business plan (believe me you do!).

But who’s got time, right? If you’re a solopreneur you’re probably juggling your (so-called) worklife balance. If you have a team, how do you get everyone to take some time out to sit down together for a few days?

Unfortunately you do need a business plan. Not having one is like being the Captain on a jetliner with no flight plan. Sure you can take off and fly in a straight line, but where are you going? How fast should you fly, and does the amount of fuel you have allow that speed? Is there any weather ahead, and should you fly through it or above it? What happens if storms delay your progress, do you fly an alternative route or land somewhere else?

Your business plan needs to define the vision you are working towards, set the milestones or goals along the way, and work out how to get there with the resources you need. But it needn’t be complicated if you can’t set the time aside – it just needs a clear enough path. One that you can detail later when you have the time. Read More

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Business Plans – Why and How

Mar 07 2017

OK, you’ve heard me talk about business plans before.

And if you haven’t, what? You really need to check this out at https://teikoh.com/?s=business+plan

Well, this week I’m going to talk about what the business planning process involves, and how you have to include the “why” of your business, why does it exist?

You see, people forget that business plans are written to be read. Yes, that’s a revolutionary thought isn’t it?

People think that business plans are boring internal documents that you write so that you can follow them step by step to grow your business. No. That’s called a to-do checklist.

Business plans are written to be read – by you, by your team, by outside investors, by supporters, by people close to you. Yes, they form the basis of what you have to do in order to grow your business – but more than that, a business plan is a story of what you have to do in order to grow your business to become the business that you want. This takes much more than a list of things that are your goals and a list of actions to achieve those goals. This means that your business plan has to be a reminder, an inspiration, it must attract people, it must make them want to be part of your story as an investor, as a team member, as a customer, as a fan.

So, let’s take a look at the why and how of the business plan process.

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Before You Sell, Start With Why

Dec 06 2016

Tell me, when you started your business, was it just to sell things?

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t. I think you started your business because you had a passion. You wanted to build a better life. You believed you had a solution to a common problem. You were passionate about your ability or believed you could use your experience to help people. I’m pretty sure you didn’t start a business just because you wanted to sell something!

So why, when we talk to potential customers do we start with a “sell”? Why don’t we start with why we are doing what we are doing?

Believe me, people are attracted to a business with a purpose. People are attracted to your product or service because they believe in you. People trust you because they are attracted to the passion you show in what you believe. Customers don’t buy from you because they like the features and benefits of your product – they buy because of the passion for the solution that you see in the benefits that you offer.

Remember, if you really want to attract customers to your business, don’t start with a sales spin, start with why – why you are in your business, why you started your business.

You’re not a personal trainer because you want to sell personal training sessions. You are a personal trainer because you believe in a world where people are fit and healthy and having fun, and that you can give people that lifestyle in an effective and fun way.

You’re not a mechanic because you want to sell someone an oil change. You are a mechanic because you have a skill in making machines just hum and your passion is to make things right.

So tell your customers that. Believe me, you’ll get more customers than just telling them about an oil change.

If you want to get more free tips and tools to grow your business, go to my website teikoh.com and register your email address so that Ican deliver these weekly ideas directly to you.

And if you want to know more about attracting customers who really want what you offer, you need a targeted Marketing Plan. I have an online training and workshop that will take you through 7 simple steps and create your scheduled, focused, practical marketing plan to target and attract your ideal customers – click here to learn more.

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Plan With An Eye To The Outside

Nov 29 2016

When you wrote your last business plan, did you go on a “retreat”?

That’s what most people do – they clear out some time and take their team out of the workplace so they won’t be disturbed, and they spend a couple of days discussing what’s going on in the business and how to improve it and set goals and strategies.

But here’s what’s wrong with this approach – more often than not you discuss and find solutions for problems and opportunities from inside your business, and forget that it’s external stimuli that will have serious and unpredictable effects.

So you go along and implement your plan only to have, one day —– WHAM! A big problem from outside hits you where you weren’t expecting.

Watch this week as I discuss how to plan with an eye to external factors.

Let’s summarise – use PESTLE to analyse and think about the external factors that could have an impact on your plans:

P for Political, being any political changes in your region that could have an impact;

E for Economic, requiring you to look at the local, national and global economy;

S for Social, asking what social trends are happening right now that could affect your business;

T for Technological – what is happening in and outside your industry that is affected by tech changes, social media and so on;

L for Legal, looking for potential changes to the law that could impact your industry;

E for Environmental, including the environment as well as surrounding factors – can any development here affect you?

If you want more of these free tips, tools and resources to help you grow your business, click here and sign up to get them sent directly to your inbox every week.

And while you’re there, go to teikoh.com and see what other great ideas you’ve missed.

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How to SWOT!

Oct 11 2016

I’ll bet you that you’ve heard of the term “SWOT”.

In the English-based education system that sometimes describes someone who works “too hard”! But no in this context I mean the management tool that people use to analyse a given situation or business issue.

“SWOT” stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, and the idea is that you assess your business situation or issue by looking at what its strengths and weaknesses are, and what opportunities exist or threats that it faces.

Many people misuse this tool – they take a generic view of the situation and look widely at all the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Often they even misunderstand the difference between strengths and weaknesses as opposed to opportunities and threats.

No, as a tool its use is to focus on key issues so that you can make clear decisions and not get swamped by too much information.

In this video I explain how you can use it to provide focus, and eventually identify strategies from the analysis.

There you are, how to use SWOT properly as a management analysis tool!

And remember, use the strengths, fix the weaknesses, exploit opportunities, monitor threats.

Now, the fun really starts when we “talk” about how you use or might use this tool. Click here to leave a comment under the video and tell me 2 ways you have used or will use SWOT!

One last thing….

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Increase your sales through a highly focused marketing plan!

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Category - Strategic Planning

Get FREE weekly ideas to grow your business

A Business Plan From A Few Simple Questions

Business Plans – Why and How

Before You Sell, Start With Why

Plan With An Eye To The Outside

How to SWOT!