PLANNING

Speed up your business with these expert tips on "Planning". Analyse and discover this TIP!

It seems obvious to say that Planning is necessary in any professional activity. However, reality shows that it is one of the great shortcomings of many companies that are already established, forcing them to make decisions in a "reactive" way, a practice that is a source of inefficiency and undesired results (sometimes with the worst consequences).

When we talk about entrepreneurs, it is also fundamental for three reasons

1. It allows you to create (and present where necessary) a credible and professional project.
2. It offers the entrepreneur a map to follow, at a time when resources and experience are often lacking.
3. It ensures that all angles of the project have been considered and establishes a clear idea of the steps, timescales and resources that need to be taken into account.

It is therefore the Tool that brings together and combines everything else:

• Services and products.
• Suppliers and costs.
• Target customers (+) and communication strategy.
• Distribution channels (+) and logistics.
• Technical means.
• Expenses.
• Authorisations.
• Break-even point, timing and financing.

There are models such as the Lean Canvas (+) which assist in planning by covering all aspects of the activity to be carried out.

For those who are not familiar with it or may find it complex. It is advisable to use the profit and loss account which is ultimately the economic summary of the whole project, and therefore a solid and reliable planning guide.

I have often seen how in the eagerness to "have it all done", people skip steps. And it is not rare that one of them is to do a good planning, because for many people eager for action and tangible facts, it can be a tedious part and require some external support, but keep in mind that -before or after-, for the short, medium and long term success of any project, it has to be planned.

Of the many famous quotes that have been said about planning, Benjamin Franklin's stands out for me: "If I were given three hours to cut down a tree, I would use the first two hours to sharpen the axe".