Planning is key for owner-managed businesses

Being your own boss is a dream for a lot of individuals, however, the reality of running your own business can be stressful.

To make your owner-managed business a success, you will need a clear vision and a plan for how to achieve this.

Outline your goals 

With any goal you have, whether it is running a marathon or starting a large business, it’s important not to run before you can walk.

So, your first step should be to sit down and evaluate what you want to achieve.

Think about this logically and create a timeline of milestones you can aim for before reaching your big dream.

For instance, if you are starting an independent coffee shop and aim to build a base of 50 premises in the future, you need to make sure your first store is a success before doing so.

How will you get there?

Once you have a clear idea of the direction you want to go in, you should start to consider how to get there.

It’s likely that your business’s success, or failure, will impact your finances, so you need to be sure that your plan will succeed.

If you currently run the business by yourself, you should consider your capabilities. As your business scales up, you should start to delegate takes or consider outsourcing to reduce the pressure on you.

Aside from your team, think about how your operations would need to change as you grow. You may need to alter your current systems to account for greater output.

You must also continue to review your business plan as you progress and take changing circumstances, such as inflationary pressures, into consideration.

Also, do not ignore warning signs that your business is in trouble. Talking to your accountant can help to identify potential issues and decide on a strategy to combat these.

Need advice on your business plan? Contact us.