Fun with Business Planning, Mad Libs and How 1° of Effort Can Make All the Difference
By Lisa Curran Parenteau, BA, LMT
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily" ~Zig Ziglar
I have worked with a really succinct business planning methodology, the One Page Business Plan for a few years. One of the many functional aspects of the OPBP is the "fill in blanks" approach to answering the deeply devilish questions of your company's vision, mission, objectives, strategies and action plans. I am a huge proponent of intentional action, as I am sure most of us are. And as a type-A personality and marketing consultant (and -- perhaps -- control freak), of course I also believe that some elements of planning for your business are pretty essential.
I know that most of us think of long-term planning in general and business planning in particular as boring, unsexy and just plain horrible. So I thought, re-motivate! Let's have some fun and lighten up! I thought it might be fun to play some Mad Libs with business planning. Here goes; just fill in the blanks like Mad Libs (as a kid, did you do them during long car rides or at slumber parties?)
So here is your Vision Statement/Mad Libs list
- Number between three and10 ______________
- Your company name ______________
- How much money do you want to make? ______________
- Your ideal service area ______________
- Your massage specialty ______________
- Local, regional or international? ______________________
- Type of company
- Your perfect customer ______________
Now... fill-in-the-blanks again and then we will reflect on your next steps. Why not make it BIG! If you don't, no one else will.
Within the next (number between three and 10) ____ years grow (your company name) ______________________ into a successful (money) _______ (local, regional, national, international) ____________ (type of company) ________________ providing or specializing in (your massage specialty) ________________________________ to (your perfect customer) ____________________.
Here is mine:
Within the next three years grow Curran Consulting into a $200,000 international creative marketing consulting business providing or specializing in biz planning and curriculum coaching services, continuing education seminars and cutting edge social media leadership to progressive massage therapists and other passionate complementary integrative medical community members.
For those of us who do not sit around thinking about planning and marketing-you must move slightly beyond your comfort zone. Taking a small step -- right now -- can actually make a huge difference in the future. If you haven't already heard of 212°, I want to share a great concept I recently heard about with you. This simple message tells us the truth about how a small amount of effort can have a really big impact on results you get.
From Sam Parker, motivational author and founder of GiveMore.com, "At 211° water is hot. At 212°, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. It's that ONE Extra Degree that makes all the difference." In the movie 212: The Extra Degree, one standout quote says: "Having a simple clearly defined goal can capture the imagination and inspire passion. It can cut through the fog like a beacon in the night." Here is a great video about the 212° concept.
This really simple and powerful metaphor can be applied to our efforts regarding the beloved subject of biz planning and strategic marketing. So take a minute and review your Mad Libs vision statement. You wrote down some ideas about what your practice will look like in three to five years. Now -- why are you building your business?
One Page Business Plan defines the why, or, the Mission Statement by asking two questions: Why does your business exist? What do your customers want from you? And then the beauty of the simplification that defines OPBP strategy is...it asks you to do it in around six words.
My Mission Statement is: "Energizing You to Attract and Serve Your Perfect Customers."
In the OPBP methodology, vision and mission are followed by briefly outlining your business objectives. In this context, objectives = measurable goals or results. What results must your business achieve to be successful? Start by listing three things that you must achieve this year in order to get a glimpse of the vision you just described. What does your practice need more of? Perfect clients, time, organization, marketing? What do you need less of?
Fill in the blanks are very helpful here as well:
Increase active client base from ________ to ___________.
Increase average fees per client from __________ to ___________
Here is one of mine:
Increase advertising expense (community charitable event/outreach expense) from 8 to 15 percent of net profit in 2011.
Strategies are things that your business must do well in order to be successful over time. The formula is: strategies = define how the business will be built and managed. Or, Strategy = Goal + How, How and How. Here are two as an example:
Positioning: Become locally or regionally known for ______________________
Increase per client revenues by _______________, _______________ and _______________
Here is one of mine:
Re-structure my business accounting system by purchasing and installing QuickBooks, and committing to regular data input and monthly account review.
The strategies are followed by the meat and potatoes of action plans. The formula is: Action plans = action word, project description, and completion date. So the fill in the blanks for some great action plans might look like:
Complete (project name) _________________________________by (date).
Implement (project name) ________________________________by (date).
Create (project name) ___________________________________by (date).
This is the area where you can really apply the time-tested elements of SMART goals -- are your action plans Specific/Measurable/Attainable/Realistic and Time lined? I have found that putting a "complete date" on my action plans works well for me. When I give myself a complete by date, I can work backwards and really tease out how long I think it may take me and/or what my schedule will allow.
In review:
Vision: What are you building?
Mission: Why are you building it?
Objectives: What results will you measure?
Strategies: How will you build this practice?
Action Plans: What is the work to be done?
This is only an outline of the entire process; but taking even 30 minutes to begin the process is an enormous step in the right direction.
For those of you who have already been working on your 2011 business plan and are now in first quarter implementation -- congrats! For those of us who may not know how to start -- this simple five-step planning structure will give you a place to hang your hat and get started. As it states above and I firmly believe, one small step now will create an enormous impact in the future of your successful practice!
"Sometimes the best helping hand you can get is a good, firm push" ~Joann Thomas
Consider yourself firmly pushed! Please drop me an email to connect about your experience with this or other business planning methodology. I love this plan because it forces you to be succinct but I would love to hear about others. I encourage everyone to find more ways to motivate yourself to put more energy and enthusiasm into your successful practice. You will always find great peace and happiness there. Namaste.
About the Author:
Lisa Curran Parenteau, BA, LMT, is a specialist in marketing and practice development. She serves as marketing consultant for the Center for Compassionate Touch LLC and contributes to curriculum and program development. She also consults with other small and medium sized businesses, non-profit organizations and professional associations. Lisa serves the American Massage Therapy Association as the 2nd VP and Webmaster and has served as a 2009 and 2010 MA Delegate to the national AMTA conference. She was elected to serve on the 2010-2011 National HOD Operations Committee. Lisa also serves the Massage Therapy Foundation as a member of the Community Service Review Committee and is honored to lead the newly formed Marketing Work Group. Prior to becoming a massage therapist she directed sales and marketing in the telecommunications industry. This experience serves as the foundation for the love of creative marketing that she brings to her work. Lisa lives and volunteers on beautiful Cape Cod and loves to practice Bikram yoga and travel with her husband. Lisa can be reached at lisaparenteau@gmail.com or lisa@compassionate-touch.org
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