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Entrepreneurs live in a world of high-stakes decisions and constant motion. Every day, you are bombarded with problems to solve, opportunities to seize and teams to lead. Through the chaos, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and mentally drained. No matter how much gets done, your list continues to grow.
In an attempt to gain control, entrepreneurs spend countless hours attempting to craft the perfect business plan. While most of these business plans are an impressive compilation of detailed objectives, progress trackers and PowerPoint slides, they often end up collecting dust.
The challenge is that most plans are unnecessarily complex, which makes them difficult to execute. Instead, entrepreneurs can simplify this process by focusing their entire business vision on a single, powerful one-word theme for the year. This one-word business plan then acts as a strategic compass as opposed to a rigid map. Focusing on your one word will help the team stay aligned throughout the year and guide every action.
Related: 5 Ways to Simplify Your Business Plan and Almost Anything Else
1. Reflect on your past 12 months
Before you can chart a course for the next 12 months, it’s important to reflect on where you’ve been (and no, this doesn’t have to be at the start of a new calendar year). Schedule time to review the past 12 months, and start by listing your biggest wins, proudest achievements, what worked well and what didn’t. By being brutally honest about your past performance, you can lay the foundation for exploring potential opportunities, challenges and changes you want to focus on going forward.
2. Identify new opportunities
Beyond looking inside your organization, it’s important to take a look outward for new opportunities. Are there any trends that you haven’t capitalized on yet? Are there new markets or revenue streams that are untapped? A good way to identify these opportunities is to stay current by participating in industry events, reading relevant industry publications and networking.
Look for opportunities that involve new technologies, changing consumer behaviors and an evolving competitive landscape. Once you have a list of these new opportunities, you can identify which ones align with the strengths of your business and team, especially those that your competitors would struggle to replicate.
3. Pinpoint your biggest challenges
The next step is to turn your attention to what’s holding you back. Internal challenges might include gaps like outdated software, inefficient team processes or a lack of clear communication. External challenges could include supplier availability, growing competitor market share or changes in laws or regulatory requirements.
Entrepreneurs often have blind spots when it comes to identifying challenges in their business, so this is a good opportunity to gather feedback directly from your team. An outside perspective from a professional business coach or consultant can also be incredibly valuable.
Related: The Inevitable Challenges You’ll Face as Your Business Grows — and How to Handle Them
4. Craft your future vision
If you could wave a magic wand, where would your business be a year from now? As you craft this vision, consider all of the elements that you have evaluated up to this point. Think about what challenges you look to overcome and what opportunities you plan to seize.
A good practice is to write this vision in the present tense. For example, “my business has doubled its sales” or “I’ve created processes for my team that allow me to have a better work-life balance.” Writing in the present tense can help you envision how your future will feel and boost your excitement and motivation.
5. Brainstorm and choose your word
This is the creative heart of the process. Start by brainstorming a list of words associated with your vision. The key is to not censor yourself. Embrace the process and write down every word that comes to mind.
Once you have a list of a few dozen words, start eliminating them one at a time until you’ve found the one that aligns best with your vision. For example, a pest control company that wants to streamline its operation to reduce costs, improve customer response times and boost productivity might focus on the word “Processes.” A marketing agency that feels it has lost its creative edge might choose the word “Authenticity” to guide its campaign development.
If you don’t find a word that resonates with you deeply, don’t be afraid to scrap the list and try again. It’s important to get this right.
Related: How to Use Your Business Plan Most Effectively
6. Make it actionable and engage the team
Now that you have your chosen word, it’s time to let it drive your actions. The first step is to translate your word into concrete initiatives. Start by building a mind map of projects, changes and opportunities that support it.
For the pest control company I coach, focusing on “Processes” might mean a goal of streamlining a key process by 25%. For the marketing agency I coach, “Authenticity” might lead to a new policy to only work with brands that share their values. Ultimately, your word should be the primary filter for all decisions throughout the year.
Of course, the most powerful vision is a shared one. Your chosen word will only be effective if your entire team understands it. Take the time to communicate your word clearly and explain the vision behind it. Tell them the story of how you chose it and show them how their individual roles and tasks contribute to the larger theme. When your team is truly aligned, they can make decisions with confidence, solve problems more efficiently and work as a cohesive unit toward a common goal.
Embracing the one-word business plan can be an exciting new approach to leadership. It’s all about doing more of what matters most and trading complexity for clarity. By distilling your vision into a single, powerful word, you can transform your business, empower your team and ensure that every choice you make moves you in exactly the right direction.
Entrepreneurs live in a world of high-stakes decisions and constant motion. Every day, you are bombarded with problems to solve, opportunities to seize and teams to lead. Through the chaos, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and mentally drained. No matter how much gets done, your list continues to grow.
In an attempt to gain control, entrepreneurs spend countless hours attempting to craft the perfect business plan. While most of these business plans are an impressive compilation of detailed objectives, progress trackers and PowerPoint slides, they often end up collecting dust.
The challenge is that most plans are unnecessarily complex, which makes them difficult to execute. Instead, entrepreneurs can simplify this process by focusing their entire business vision on a single, powerful one-word theme for the year. This one-word business plan then acts as a strategic compass as opposed to a rigid map. Focusing on your one word will help the team stay aligned throughout the year and guide every action.
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Nicholas Leighton
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