A Business Carol – the Past, Present and Future
The end of the year is fast approaching and with it, I’m sure many of us will be looking forward to enjoying the festivities even more so than in previous years.
This time of year, we often discuss looking back over the previous 12 months and forward planning for the year ahead.
This year may not have gone according to plan, with many of us having started the year with months of lockdown and the struggles that brought. This doesn’t mean there is any less reason to plan for the coming year; in fact, there is arguably even more cause to do so.
Here we look at the past, present and future of business and how we can use these timelines to influence planning.
Past
The toll of Covid has had a lasting effect on many businesses with some still likely to be feeling the strain for months or years to come. It may therefore be tempting to try and forget the past 18 months or so. However, there are likely to be some positives to be drawn – be these greater flexibility in the way you conduct work, increased efficiencies around the way you communicate with staff and suppliers or changes you have made to operations. Reflecting in a positive light on the ways in which your business adapted during Covid and the changes that have stayed may give some food for thought on other ways in which you might be able to evolve.
Present
If you haven’t had the opportunity to do so recently, it’s worth undertaking a good old SWOT analysis of your business and where it stands at the moment. By looking at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats associated with the business, you can begin to look at how to take advantage of and mitigate the various things you uncover in the process. This will, by default, begin to set out your plans as you move forward into the New Year.
Taking time out of working in the business to work on the business is often a weak point for many business owners, but in doing so, you can make some valuable discoveries that really will make a difference to your success going forward.
Future
When you started the business, you probably did so with a number of key objectives in mind. These may have been lost along the way, or have changed as things have evolved.
Staying on track can be hard – especially with the prospect of being derailed by Covid at any given opportunity still a looming threat. But by setting out times in the year when you might review where you are up to, you can increase the likelihood that you retain sight of what you set out to do and achieve – both personally and from the business’ perspective.
Agenda’s business consultants are working with clients to look forward and plan into 2022 and beyond. We offer a free one hour consultation for new clients. To organise your session, please get in touch.
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