Creating a Road Map for your Business: Part 1 - The Why

Imagine if you never had to decide what to prioritise? What if making a decision was a no-brainer! A Big Picture Strategy will make every decision a breeze!

Having a vision for your business and life is the most important place to start. What’s that Henry Kissinger saying 

“...If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere…”

I found that getting super clear on my vision makes every decision simple. If I could take one positive from the pandemic, when I realised the colossal implications of the restriction on my pub, my vision became pretty simple: Survive Covid!

How did this make every decision easy, in such a ridiculously difficult time you might ask! Well, no longer did I need to grapple with heart/head arguments. Every decision, as excruciating as some were, like putting off all of my staff, came down to one question: if I do this will my business survive? 

Thankfully, while so many hospitality businesses went out of business, mine survived.

Times are not quite as tough, but they are challenging. A clear picture of where you want to go, you will have an anchor to move forwards. It builds resilience in both the good and the tough times.

You just need to ask:

Will it take my business towards or away from my big picture goal?

The first part of your strategy: The Why!

Let’s get to the heart of your business, why did you start it in the first place? Was it a side hustle to add some extra income, did you want to create a community, bring joy, solve a specific problem, or share something you’re passionate about?

Maybe you wanted more freedom and time to spend with family and friends, but it’s not panning out that way because somehow you slipped into busy-work.

It’s time to get back to why it all began and why it still matters now.

Mindset for Pivots

If the pandemic taught us anything it is that businesses don’t often grow in a straight line! If you can ride the challenges and not stagnate you can survive almost anything.

As you reflect on your why, having the mindset for pivots means embracing change as a part of growth, rather than a failure. We get so set in our ways it is vital we stay curious, just because you have always done something a certain way, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best way. 

It’s ok to say No

You just can’t be everything to everyone. Saying no is necessary to protect your brand, your time and your sanity!! It all comes back to having a clear big picture vision and it won’t feel like you are saying no, you’re just following your completely aligned strategy.

I’ll expand more on this in Part 3.