How to Create a Business Strategy as a Beginner: Part Two

Creating a Business Strategy Plan

If you missed last week’s blog post, you want to go back and read Part 1 of building business strategies which you can find HERE. This is the base of how to put together your business strategy with a few questions that will help you compile it. So if you haven’t read through that yet, go read it and then come back. 

Turning a Business Strategy into a Workable Plan

Today, I want to teach you how to take a business strategy that you just created and make it into a workable plan. So often people get overwhelmed with just the word "strategy" but honestly, it is just thinking ahead so you have a roadmap of where you are going. Imagine yourself on a road trip from Ohio to California. (I love Cali and always use this example). You aren’t just going to get in your car and hope you get there. You might research flights or print out a map, or even use Google to plan out some stops along the way. That is a strategy. Albeit an easy one, but you get the idea.  

Take these steps to stay accountable:

1. Communicate it. Write it down, schedule it. Tell your spouse. Tell your coach. Even just sharing it on social media or a community that you are in is going to help keep you accountable.
   
   
   
2. Think about how you can drive accountability. Do you need to set business hours? Does something need to come off your schedule so you can focus on this? Maybe it is even just putting a reminder on the calendar every Friday to check in with yourself and your progress. (p.s. This is where communities, mentors and even just communicating to a friend or spouse helps. Because they too can help keep you accountable.
   
   
3. Create focus. Back in the 90’s, the Franklin Covey planner (Yes, I had one) was all the rage. But the best part of this planning system was it helped you create focus by picking just a few things to focus on. If you have 27 goals for the month, the chances of them getting done are slim to none. I recommend picking 1 per your personal pillars. So as an example, I have four personal pillars: wellness (as in self-care), Family, my corporate job, and my business. I pick one goal per month that aligns with my big-picture strategy and focus on that. The more goals you have the less likely they will be achieved. So pair it down and focus. This way you will actually get more done in less time.
   
   
4. Be action-oriented. In step 2 you set your business hours, use that time wisely. Set a timer, cut the scrolling (scrolling through Instagram is not a business strategy), figure out what your best next step is to reach that big vision. Keep that vision front and center so that even when you only have a few minutes you know why are doing what you are doing. (And if you need some motivation, check it out here!) 
   
   Do you love these tips? Take the Productivity Personality Quiz to get a Netflix-style binge-worthy resource list to help you find your focus and is customized to you! Take the quiz here.
   
   
   
5. Track your progress at the end of the week. If you are driving from Ohio to California, but only made it to Indiana in one week you may need to re-think your steps. What happened this week that slowed you down? Or maybe you made it all the way to Colorado. How did you get there so fast? Taking a few minutes (and yes, I keep a reminder on my calendar to do this) to reflect on how it is going will make a huge difference. You don’t want to spend all your time going in the wrong direction. 

 You have your Business Strategy, now what?

You can now dial in your focus on your strategy and actually create a plan that makes sense for you, your goals, and your personal pillars. If you need daily reminders on how to do this, this is all mapped out in the Crush the Rush planner for you. 

I’d love to hear your big-picture strategy. Make sure you join us in the FB community this week as we will be digging into this more!

Looking for more on this topic? Check out the Strategy Lab in the Crush the Rush Club!