Most businesses are built by default – not by design.
Very few businesses start ‘with the end in mind’ and design it from the ground up. Most businesses grow by default with people, systems, culture, clients, numbers, habits and attitudes.
If you take a good hard look at your business today, is it exactly what you want it to be?
If you are motivated you can make changes. But you have to be motivated.
We would suggest that you focus on four key areas of business design.
As you go through the list here are some quotes to help you expand your thinking.
“If nothing happens then nothing happens”
“If you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t, you can’t – either way you’re right”
“If it’s going to be, it’s up to me”
“A breakthrough often happens after a break with”
“Your future is dependant on your decisions and actions today”
Here goes…. some questions to ask yourself:
- Designing your business lifestyle
- How much cash do you want to take home each year?
- What are you going to spend it on?
- How much travel do you want to do?
- How many ‘free’ days do you want per month?
- What type of customers do you want to work with?
- How many real family vacations per year? 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 weeks?
- How many weeks of personal (no kids or partners) vacations per year?
- What role do you want to play in the business? Operational, non-operational or other?
- How many promotional days per year?
- What are the three highest productive activities that you should spend your time on?
- Designing the numbers
- What revenue do you want the business to be generating?
- What profit would you like?
- How many offices/locations?
- What does the headcount look like – the team? Less, same, how many?
- What is the ideal average revenue per customer?
- What is your personal wealth upon selling your share of the business?
- Designing your culture
- What is your documented culture?
- What is the attitude of the team you desire? Positive, negative, neutral, miserable?
- What are the documented performance standards and values?
- What does the office layout and environment look like?
- What are the benefits and perks?
- Do you want a reactive or proactive culture?
- What are the rules of being a team member in your business?
- Who needs to stay and who needs to go?
- Designing your customer base
- Which niche market(s) do you want to target? Or are you going to take on anyone as a customer?
- What denotes an A class customer? How many do you have?
- Do you have an ideal size of customer?
- What potential for additional products or services in your current customer base exists?
- How likeable are your current customers?
- Who needs to go?
- What is your marketing and sales plan to find the ones you want?
With these four areas you can have a business that works, is fun, is stimulating and makes money. It’s your choice what your business design looks like.