Your Business Plan

Start With the End in Mind.

It is important to begin the journey of owning a business with an understanding of what the endpoint looks like.
One of the key characteristics of high-performing organisations and teams is that they have a clear picture of what they are trying to achieve.
The clear picture can be more accurately defined as the vision of the organisation, and how they are going to achieve it is the mission.

The values, vision, and mission of an organisation are what drive it to success.
They provide a foundation for the team in all its decision-making and a common purpose and identity for all stakeholders.

Bentleys can assist you in putting together a business plan with a business planning day that will go through the items listed. 

 

Contact your Bentleys Advisor about making a plan for your business. 

 

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Where are we at?

  • Mission Statement
  • Services
  • Intellectual Property
  • Customers
  • Competition Analysis
  • Resources
  • Staff and Organisational Chart
  • Marketing Plans
  • Staff Training and Development
  • Quality Assurance
  • Accountancy System
  • Debtors Management
  • Stock / Work In Progress Management
  • Legal including current structure, management and ownership
  • Insurance Policy
  • Banks
  • Investments
  • Capital Expenditure
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Benchmarking

Focusing on the future

  • Risk Analysis and Contingency Plan
  • Budgets and Cash Flow Forecasts
  • Key Performance Indicators – Goals for the future
  • Action Plan

What makes a business plan Successful?

  • Clarity – the plan should provide practical clarity as to where the business is heading, not just flowery words.
  • Team involvement – it is important that all people in an organization are on board with the plan and hence are all able to work towards the goals.
  • Achievability – Whilst it is often good to have a stretch goal, it should not be impossible as otherwise, the team will not consider it worthwhile trying to achieve it.
  • Review and flexibility – whilst it is important to be clear as to where the business is heading this doesn’t mean the goals shouldn’t be changed. The plan should be a living document where stakeholders review it regularly, especially as outside influences often change and hence the business needs to adapt.
  • Leadership – Involving the team is important but commitment will come from the leaders in the organization showing their belief in the plan.
  • Action/measuring – It is great to have a plan but if that is where it ends and there are no specific action steps then the chances of success are remote.

Likewise, the measuring of the outcome of the actions as to whether they meet the goals is essential to keep the team on track.