Creating a Winter action plan
CReating a winter actionplan
By Cam Roberts, Laser Line Painting and Stripe It Like It’s Hot
When winter arrives and the off season begins, we might breathe a sigh of relief. Striping businesses are entirely weather dependent, which means we have stretches of long days in a row to meet demand, often in hot conditions. Make sure to take the needed break at the end of the season to recoup and recharge. In addition to bringing a time of rest, however, the off season also gives us a unique opportunity to create an action plan for the following year, comprised of clear goals, targets, and metrics.
I could pile on the references and case studies, but it should come as no surprise that people - and businesses - have significantly better likelihood of improvement in measurable performance when written goals are used. Yet, for some reason, many of us don't make use of this tactic, despite overwhelming evidence it will actually help our business. I believe the neglect of written goals and targets comes from not knowing where to start. From personal experience, it was my biggest roadblock. Everyone in my network talked about the importance of goal setting and creating plans, but I didn't know the process of doing that.
So, how do you actually do this goal setting and planning thing?
My recommendation is to come up with just ONE ultimate goal for next year - the one thing that, if it happened, would mark the year a success. If you have one thing identified, you can start reverse engineering the specific action items you have to accomplish to get that ultimate goal. For example, your ultimate goal may be to double your revenue. Use this winter to brainstorm the smaller actions you need to take to accomplish the ultimate goal. This may include things like increasing marketing spend, increasing outbound sales calls or emails, raising average project size, adding another production employee… It is going to vary for every business based on what that specific business currently looks like. No matter what your ultimate goal is, there are always a series of smaller action items that you can take that are like the steps on a staircase, leading you directly to the next level - your ultimate goal.
Now, if you're like me, you are naturally bad at this. I didn't know where to start with this whole “goal setting” thing. In an effort to help you get started, I created a specific “Winter Action Plan” framework. It's available on my website, www.stripeitacademy.com, under “Resources”. It's a 3-step plan to get you on the path to crushing your next year with actionable action items to work on over the off season. Implementing tools like this Winter Action Plan has allowed my business to grow and scale year over year.
Fortune favors the prepared. Don't let this winter fly by, leaving you to react when Spring comes. Your winter is the ideal time to make the plans and goals to make the next season a massive success.
The 'Winter Action Plan Framework' is a free resource designed to help you make sure the next year is a monster success. It's a concise, two-page PDF crafted to help you articulate clear goals, targets, and metrics for the upcoming year. 📈
We all know the power of writing down our goals - countless studies back it up. 📝 In my experience though, starting a goal-setting plan can be the hardest part of the entire experience. That's where this guide steps in. It offers a straightforward framework you can implement right now during the offseason to set up a big 2024.
Fortune favors the prepared. Your winter is the ideal time to make the plans and goals to make the next season a massive success.