Keep It Simple

When I was with a Big 4 Consulting firm, one of the services we provided to clients was business planning. Our plans were normally dozens of pages chock full of charts, graphics, and illustrations.

However, when we met with the client to check on their progress, we discovered our plans were sitting on the shelf collecting dust. Why? Too much information and too hard to implement. If you can’t put your plan on one page, then you have too many details. Keep it simple.

So, I decided something needed to change to make it more usable and realistic. Beginning 15 years ago, I pivoted to a simple One Page business plan for clients. It can sit on their desktop for easy access and tracking. For Trenton Services, I keep it under my keyboard for easy access.

You need just enough details to be confident you have thought through each facet of your business. Every business has inherent risk, so you only need to plan for the 80% you know. The goal is to create a plan that is achievable in one year. Now to be clear, only the annual business plan will be on one page – the financial plan will be separate. In addition, larger companies will require that each department has a one-page plan.

Let’s look at the components of a plan:

1. Mission
2. Vision
3. Goals
4. Approach
5. Schedule

Details about each of these categories will be explained in a future Tweet. To see a sample of a One Page plan, just go to this link where you can print a copy.

Excerpt from The Extraordinary Business by Mike Hill

Write to Mike at Mike.Hill@TeamTrenton.com