Ideally, every small-business owner would focus on the long view. We would always be purposeful of how, when and where we could expect growth and would set and achieve a series of goals to get to a certain desired point.
According to the Alternative Board’s survey, small-business owners with a strategic plan they consider “excellent” or “good” are much more likely to project a sharp increase in profits and sales revenue than owners without a strategic plan.
Sometimes, though, the real world gets in the way. We are pulled in too many directions and, before we know it, the year is half over. A volatile market requires a change in direction.
I wanted to know how successful small-business owners balance future planning with immediate priorities, so I talked to Jon Izenstark, co-founder of HR consulting firm Culture Factors in Chicago; Laura Land, CEO of cell phone accessory companyEmpire in Riverside, California; and Rachel Rodgers, founder ofRachel Rodgers Law Office in Tenafly, New Jersey.
How did you get to where you are today? In what way was it a result of long-range planning?
Jon Izenstark: It was a fairly quick gut decision. I was working in a sales role for a management consulting firm with some really prominent industrial psychologists who helped me to develop a passion for the field and business. When the firm was sold, my partner and I stuck around for a while, but this just seemed like the next logical move.
Rachel Rodgers: In the beginning, I would put together an annual plan for the year and usually accomplish a good portion of that list. In the past two years, however, I have been working with an executive coach/business advisor with whom I have created a long-term plan. We are slowly but surely executing on each piece of the plan. We are definitely playing the long game now.
Can your business be successful if you don’t take the long view?
Laura Land: Yes, some industries require adaptability. Over the last 12 years, our business has transformed about every six months. Staying relevant is most important.
Izenstark: That depends on your definition of success and your business plan. There are lots of successful businesses that have a finite lifespan for a product or solution. They make money for the principals for two to three years and then close the doors. Our business model from the onset was designed to be sustainable long term and needs long-term planning as a core competency.
Rodgers: I think you can have some success, but you eventually have to have an overall vision to remain successful. Even if you are lucky enough to become an “overnight sensation,” you still have to make long-term plans to determine how to maintain that level of success.
For the rest of the interview, check out the full post at the AMEX Open Forum.
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