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    • Action plan

    Define what success looks like for your business

    Medium effort

    Medium impact

    Business isn’t about what you think success should look like – it’s about what it truly means to you. Having a clear vision of success will make sure you’re accessing the right resources, getting relevant advice and setting goals that properly align with your ambitions.

    • We’ve designed our action plans to be completed in the order of steps laid out and explained why each step is important
    • Customising your action plan lets you set your own completion dates, assign tasks to others and get notifications
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps while a tracking metric at the end will help you determine the long-term success of your effort
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available if you’d like to compete it offline
    What's involved? Ways to use this action plan Measuring impact
    1

    Think about where you want your business to be in one, five and ten years’ time, consider what you want to be selling and who your customers will be

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    Nailing down a single long-term vision can feel overwhelming, so start by thinking about what shorter-term success looks like for your business.

    2

    Look at your business goals from previous years and see what’s been most important for you to achieve

    Impact: low

    Why will this help?

    Whether it’s the retention of a few key clients or increasing the size of your workforce, re-examining your business goals will demonstrate what you’ve poured energy into and where you’ve been most successful so far.

    3

    Do a competitor analysis to understand where you sit in the market

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    When you’re shaping your vision for success, it helps to factor in your unique selling point and build on what you’re already doing successfully.

    How to do a competitive analysis

    A competitive analysis helps businesses to understand who competitors are and what makes them different.
    4

    Speak to a consultant, mentor or peer to get an external perspective on your vision for success

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    Speaking to someone who is a step removed from your business gives you the opportunity to work through your ideas and hear an impartial viewpoint.

    5

    Finalise your vision of success for your business in writing

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    Include this written definition in your business plan, alongside your vision and goals, to remind you of what you’re working towards.

    Writing a statement that defines your vision for success

    Defining your vision for success gives you a clear destination to work towards when you’re making decisions and setting goals.

    What can I do with this Action Plan?

    Start this Action Plan

    Add some extra information to this plan and we’ll help you get it done.

    • We’ve designed our action plans to be completed in the order of steps laid out and explained why each step is important
    • Customising your action plan lets you set your own completion dates, assign tasks to others and get notifications
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps while a tracking metric at the end will help you determine the long-term success of your effort
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available if you’d like to compete it offline

    Download and print

    Get a printable template for this Action Plan, fill it in with some target dates, and share it with your team. Pin it on the wall where everyone can see it.

    Get the printable Action Plan

    Learning Groups

    We also run Learning Groups on these topics where you can join other leaders tackling the same challenges.

    Find a Learning Group

    How will I know if my action plan is working?

    Comfort level when explaining your vision

    How easy it is to explain your company’s goals and purpose

    Why this metric?

    Being able to comfortably express your vision to key stakeholders like investors or your management team is a good sign that you’ve implemented it effectively.

    How do I start tracking?

    When you’ve finalised your vision, you need to start telling people about it. Take time after those conversations to reflect on what it felt like, how easy it was to explain and whether your vision rings true when you say it out loud.