How to succeed with effective business planning

1. Plan continually, not just at the start
   Your business plan needs to evolve with your business. Don't create a plan at the start and stick it in a drawer. Keep it alive and update it a regular intervals.
   
2. Know where you are going, otherwise you won't know when you get there
   Make sure you have documented your objectives and know what success means for you and your business.
   
3. Plan to increase the value of your business, not just revenue and profit
   Your business needs to be worth more than just your time and effort, otherwise you have only created a job for yourself. If you want to get out of the business someday, how much could you sell it for?
   
4. Set milestones
   Success doesn't just happen, it come from achieving a number of smaller goals along the way. So make sure you know what the key building blocks are and when you expect them to be in place.
   
5. Document your plan using both qualitative and quantitative descriptions (words and numbers)
   Describe how you are going to achieve success in words and show what this means in financial terms.
   
6. What resources are needed to achieve your objectives?
   No-one achieves anything without having the right equipment, people, time and finance. If you don't know everything, you need estimate it and then reassess your needs as you go along.
   
7. Communicate your business plan
   People, including investors, staff, customers and suppliers, need to know what you are planning. If you don't tell them what you are planning, they won't be able to help you implement it.
   
8. Reward yourself and your team whenever you hit a goal along the way
   Celebrate success when you hit monthly targets or launch a new product. Success breeds success, so shout about it.
   
9. Review and revise, regularly and often
   The world does not stand still so you must adapt to change and ensure that your plan reflects this.
   
10. Don't re-invent the wheel!
    There are many business plan templates around that you can use on your PC. They are designed by experts to give you a proven formula for creating a successful business plan fast. A good computer-based plan lets you perform revisions and change details quickly and easily so it is always up to date.

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