Creating Your Vision
If you're interested in creating a vision for you and your business, but not sure how to get started, then check out these resources from Margery Miller at PeopleBiz, offered in two short worksheets.
Part 1 talks you through the Visioning process and offers a sample vision statement for consideration and analysis.
Part 2 offers tips for what to do once you've written your vision statement, including developing a network, a team, and a financial base.
These articles have been reproduced below.
CREATING YOUR VISION -- Part I
The first of the five essential points to increase your revenue to $1 million is Vision. How do you create one? Where does it come from?
It starts with asking yourself some basic questions:
- What kind of business do you want?
- What kind of service or product do you want to offer?
- How much money do you want to make?
- What would it take to fulfill your dreams?
I learned a valuable thing from one of my mentors: we manifest a notch below our vision. That means that if you want a successful citywide business, vision it as a statewide one. Or if you want to build a national organization, envision an international one. I'm not sure why this is true, but I know it works!
Another valuable tool in creating your vision is to imagine what you would love to be, do and have in this business. If you want to be the best provider of a service, what things would you need to do in order to achieve that goal? And once you were that best provider, and did all those things, what would you have?
When writing these points, remember to state them as if they already are truths about you -- because when we put our dreams in the future, that's where they stay! If you say "I will do something," or "I will be something," it separates you from it and keeps it as a possibility, but not a reality.
Here's an example:
If my vision is to have a successful communications and public relations company, I could write it down like this:
I am the owner of the most widely recognized communications and PR firm in the country. I am highly skilled at recognizing trends and guiding my clients into developing their brands in a way that creates movement and attracts new business. I am interested in learning about my clients so that I can best serve them.
I am an open minded, visionary leader who is able to attract and retain the best employees. I am good a communicating with them and helping them grow as they help us grow our company. I am an excellent financial manager and utilize valuable resources to help us grow our financial base. I am good at seeing the value of our work, and easily help our clients understand that value, so that they are willing to pay us well for what we do. I include my family in helping me strategize how to balance my work and home life so it works best for all of us.
I actively network and build relationships to grow my business. I think about what I can do for others and make myself available to help them. I read magazines and trade publications to be sure I am up on the latest trends. I consistently reevaluate where we are, what we are doing, and how we are doing it to be sure we stay on point and on focus.
I have a waiting list of clients who are eager to work with us. I have a loyal and supportive team of people who join me in enthusiastically building our business. I have a strong financial base, and have manifested wealth not only in dollars, but also in a wealth of resources available to us, a wealth of grateful and consistent clients, and a wealth of opportunities for growth and expansion.
I have created balance between my work and home life and have time for my family, for fun, travel and enjoyment of the wealth we have built together. I have a rewarding, enriching life that challenges me to continue to grow and learn. I have a deep, abiding gratitude for all that I have been given, and the opportunities ahead of me.
When reading this, your first reaction might be -- but you don't yet have those things, so how can you claim them? The deal is, if you don't claim them, how will you ever have them? We express in our lives what we believe about ourselves -- and if we believe the best, we are much more likely to bring that into our experience. So we write down how we would love for it to be, as if it already is, and we develop goals and objectives that bring it into reality. This is where you use details based on what is necessary to make it happen. We will talk about setting these goals and objectives in our next letter, so you will see how it all fits together.
CREATING YOUR VISION -- Part II
Most of us spend a lot of time worrying about what can go wrong, what we don't have and how we can't do it all. If we clarify our vision, and state it and repeat it, at least on a daily basis, if not multiple times daily, we are much more likely to bring it to fruition. What we focus on is what we pay attention to, and what we pay attention to is what we bring forth into our lives.
Now that you have written your vision, what are you going to do with it? Things don't happen by magic -- we make them happen. From our example of a vision of a successful PR firm, here are some goals and objectives that will help bring the vision into reality:
Goals
- Build a network of people who refer to us
- Build a strong team to take care of our clients
- Build a financial base that can weather the ups and downs of business
- Keep home life and work life in balance
Objectives
Building a network
- Investigate several networking groups to determine which, if any, to join
- Look for ways to help my new contacts so that they will begin to understand what we do and recommend us to clients
- Reconnect with clients and friends from former working situations
- Find out about the local Chamber of Commerce and consider joining up and getting on committees
- Connect with local chapters of NAWBO and other women's business groups
- Look for opportunities to speak for free about general topics to get our name more recognized in the community
- Find volunteer work that we enjoy, that also helps us meet new business contacts
Building a strong team
- Look at current employees and evaluate if we have the right people doing the right jobs
- Get input from current team members about how to improve the business
- Have each team member write a job description and meet with the group to see if some tasks need to be reallocated
- Keep our eyes open for prospective employees who have enthusiasm for building client relationships
- Look for individuals and companies with whom we can create strategic alliances to grow more business
- Re-evaluate the team and our progress at least quarterly
Building a financial base that can weather the ups and downs of business
- Work on getting a line of credit before we really need it
- Make sure we are setting our terms clearly with our clients and pay attention to collections
- Scrutinize our expenses and look for ways we can cut costs without diminishing our service to our clients
- Begin to build a cushion of cash to pull from when needed
- Create a projection for cash flow quarterly and yearly, based on past history and future opportunities
- Keep our eyes on our bottom line
Keeping home life and work life in balance
- Make sure our families understand what we are doing with our business and why it is so important to us
- Include family members in discussions about the challenges and rewards of the business, so they get a clearer perspective
- Pay ourselves first, and keep our own value to the business and the family in mind
- Take time with family and friends to let them know we appreciate and enjoy them -- so they see that the business is not the only thing that is important to us
- Remember that time away from the business for self-care is just as important to the growth of the business, because it gives us a new perspective and some breathing room to re-think things
As you can see, a vision is only as good as our commitment to implement it. Take the time to think strategically and carefully about your business, what you truly want to accomplish, and how you can make it happen. This gives you a step up on most other people out there -- and will bring you a sense of accomplishment and value as you follow your own prescription for success.
Until next time,
Margery Miller
PeopleBiz Inc.
margery@peoplebiz.com
www.peoplebiz.com
