Planning: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It – Part 1

After seventeen years of slugging it out, I decided to plan out the year before it started. Duh. Game changer.

Today I’ll launch a new series about planning. Not too swanky, I know, but planning caused a gleeful revolution in the way I did business. It made the biggest difference! When I first started doing this, my people thought it was strange. Now it’s part of our DNA, and it has made business fun!

I believe that one of the main reasons people follow me is because I have a plan. It’s undoubtedly the reason the great folks have stayed with me and made Nolan so great. As the leader, it is absolutely my responsibility to have a written plan. Thankfully, I don’t have to do it myself; I have built a fantastic team.

Planning is not the easiest thing, but it isn’t that hard, either. Writing down a plan takes more discipline than anything else. It also takes a few people to buy in; you need the key players to agree on a one-year plan for your organization. If you believe it’s possible together, well, you can see why that would be really powerful. Are your competitors doing it? Probably not.

So, planning will give you the advantage. I often talk to people who run their own businesses and ask them if they have a business plan. They either say “no,” or they say they “did one a few years back.” Rarely do I find somebody that does one annually. That’s a shame because that’s really what has to be done.

Every business needs an annual plan with an established planning process. This series will help you with your planning and you’ll never go back to “the seat of your pants.” I guarantee it.

Build muscle. See you Thursday.