How to Plan for Another Totally Ambiguous Year

Have you put together your 2021 Business Plan yet? Or did the craziness of 2020 make you just kind of throw up your hands and decide to just kind of wade out there and see what happens? That ain’t no way to run a business or your life.

There are a few things that are timeless and necessary no matter what the economy, the politics, or the state of the pandemic may be. At minimum you need to ask and answer some basic questions and maybe update your answers from last year.

•  What are you building? Is your Vision Statement still relevant? Do you know what you want your future to look like?

• Why are you building it? If you don’t know your why, you really need to start there. Your Why is your Mission and without it, you’ll be without passion and without purpose and struggle will always find you.

• How are you going to build it? Here is where you need to focus to make sure you have the right strategies for 2021 and beyond. Let’s talk about your strategies.

If you’re waiting for things to get “back to normal” so you can do things the way you used to do them, you’re setting yourself up for some major disappointment. But here are some tips for developing strategies that will serve you in the new landscape.

• Do review 2020. What went well? What did you accomplish? What did you learn about yourself, your business, your customers and your competitors? If you could have a “do over” what would you change?

• Look ahead. What opportunities will the new year bring you? Read the forecasts for economic re-opening, for vaccine distribution and herd immunity, for opportunities. What holidays, seasons, big events are coming up that you can start brainstorming now? What is on your clients’ calendars? 

• Know Your Customer! Who are your best current customers? What do they have in common? What problems do you solve for them? What makes you the perfect fit for their needs? Start noting their characteristics right down to demographics, industries, personal values and attributes. That way you’ll know who you’re looking for and be able recognize high value prospects.

• Know your competition. What are they doing to pivot around the changes? What have they done and are they doing better than you? Do you have the right tools to compete in the new environment? What’s new? Your customers are more tech savvy. They’re more e-commerce driven. They’re comfortable working remotely. How have the shifts in the marketplace created new opportunities? And how will you capitalize on them?

• Get Real About Your Goals. Set your sales goals and know how much you need to sell every day, week, month, quarter to build your dream. Plan on pivots and places where you may need to grow to hit your numbers — PPE, Kitting and Fulfillment, Event Packages, and an upgraded company store. Target where the money is going — outdoor activities and sports are killing it now.

• Your Stop Doing List! Look at the products, services and activities that you’re doing that are no longer getting you results. What can you cut out? Do you have any “shoulds” that have crept into your activities that relate to old thinking or other people’s goals rather than your own? Ask yourself - will this matter in 2025?

This year is going to be better than last year in so many ways. But you need to really stay focused and mindful to make sure you create the company and life that you want and are not just reacting and being pushed and moved with the currents. Get back to basics and chart your own course.