Keeping track of sales, deliveries, customer service, hiring and finances isn’t easy, especially if you’re dealing with them all on the same day, sometimes at the same time. This can mean that business growth takes a backseat and it goes from being your main focus, to something you simply hope for. But, it’s not luck or hoping that makes some businesses grow and others stay the same, it’s structure and having a clear plan. With a 90-day business growth plan, you can turn the desire to grow into action, and this action turns into impactful, measurable results.
What is a Business Growth Plan?
A business growth plan is a focused, 90-day plan aimed at helping your business to reach specific growth goals. It’s likely to include clear goals, the main steps needed to get there, responsibilities and roles, measurable KPIs and a timeline. A growth plan is different from a traditional business plan because it’s focused on taking action right now and achieving specific results. It’s also a flexible type of plan, meaning you can amend it as you learn, grow and decide what works.
Why a 90-Day Timeframe is Best
Many business owners either plan too far ahead or not at all, whereas a 90-day cycle is a happy medium. A year seems far away, but a month can seem too soon. 90 days is in the middle, giving you enough time to carry out important projects, but short enough to keep your attention and sense of urgency. Plus, a 90-day plan gives you enough time to test and change things, learning and improving as you go, without losing momentum.
The Risk of Growing a Business Without a Plan
You might think that running your business without a growth plan keeps you flexible, but it canactually hide risks that slow you down.
You Start Being Reactive
When you don’t have a plan, your decisions are based on urgent tasks, unexpected and random opportunities, and pressure from stakeholders. There’s no time to ask if something will benefit the business, and whether it’s worth your time, money and resources. You need to react straightaway, leaving very little time for strategy.
You Waste Time and Money
When there isn’t a clear path, there’s no guarantee that marketing is consistent, investments don’t have a clear goal and efforts are often duplicated. You might be busy, but that doesn’t mean you’re being productive in a way that will benefit your business.
You Can’t Tell What’s Working
You can’t keep track of growth if you don’t determine what success looks like ahead of time. It’s impossible to know what’s working if you’re making choices based on guesswork, instead of facts, and if you’re using ineffective strategies.
Your Team Lacks Clarity
Your team needs direction, even if it’s just a rough idea of what they should be aiming for. Not having a clear business growth plan makes it hard to tell what your priorities are, accountability drops and performance suffers.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a 90-Day Business Growth Plan
Step 1: Figure Out Your Main Growth Goal
Set one clear goal for the next 90 days, and focus on it. This goal should be specific, measurable and realistic, but that doesn’t mean you need to shy away from being a little ambitious. You might decide to increase monthly sales, or maybe you want more qualified leads. Avoid setting too many goals, and instead prioritise what matters most.
Step 2: Know Where You Stand Right Now
Look at where you currently stand before making plans for the future. Look at your income, profits, conversion rates, top customer acquisition channels, operational capacity and bottlenecks. This gives you a realistic place to start.
Step 3: Pick Your Main Growth Strategies
Decide on your key areas to focus on, and create a strategy for each. For example, if your goal is to get more leads, you might create a strategy centred around paid ads, content marketing and partnerships.
Step 4: Turn Strategy Into Action
Once you’ve got a strategy, you need to translate it into actionable steps. Instead of beingvague, break your goals down and come up with a list of specific things that you’re going to do.For example, if you want to improve your marketing, make a list of the campaigns you’re going to run, who they’re aimed at, how many blogs you’re going to upload and how many times you’re going to post on social media. The more specific the action is, the more likely it is to happen.
Step 5: Assign Ownership and Set Deadlines
Every part of your business growth plan needs an owner and a due date. Without ownership, tasks get delayed and accountability disappears. But, when ownership is assigned and deadlines have been set, progress becomes a lot more visible and everyone knows what they’re responsible for.
Step 6: Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
You can’t know for sure that your business is improving if you don’t measure your efforts. Pick a small number of KPIs that are related to your goal – for example, leads per week, price per lead or conversion rate – and track them, making a note of any changes.
Step 7: Get Rid of Problems Early
You’re bound to run into a problem or two when you’re growing your business, but make sure to get rid of these hurdles early. Time restraints, skills gaps and limited resources can hold growth back, so address them as soon as you can.
Keeping track of sales, deliveries, customer service, hiring and finances isn’t easy, especially if you’re dealing with them all on the same day, sometimes at the same time. This can mean that business growth takes a backseat and it goes from being your main focus, to something you simply hope for. But, it’s not luck or hoping that makes some businesses grow and others stay the same, it’s structure and having a clear plan. With a 90-day business growth plan, you can turn the desire to grow into action, and this action turns into impactful, measurable results.
