Build a creative business vision
We all know that we should have a vision for our business – a destination spot in the distance, driving us forward, bursting with opportunity and excitement.
But sitting down by yourself or with your team to pull that vision from your head can feel like trying to extract a tiny, precious diamond from a vat of porridge. Where to start? Gloves or no gloves? Should we have giant tweezers or an industrial vacuum?
Luckily for you, none of that is required because here is a small breakfast buffet of creative ways to get thinking about what you want your business to look and feel like in 12 months’ time. You can pick a few of the creative exercises or do them all. Just grab some Post-Its, large bits of paper or a blank wall or window and some Sharpies. That really is the creative breakfast of champions.
As an amuse bouche, do a creative warm up – such as 10 different ways to use a teaspoon.
TRAFFIC LIGHT THINKING
Draw a large red, amber and green circle (you can see where this is going). In the green circle, write down some BOLD ideas about what you want to START doing next year. Be shockingly brave, and don’t let your inner critic out of its box.
In the amber circle, think about what things you are currently doing that are working really well for your business and will continue to do so, and jot those down – anything from the amazing way you onboard your clients, to creating downloadable products.
In the red circle, write down anything that you want to stop doing – stuff that is holding you or your business back from moving forward. Maybe you want to stop creating social content as it’s a massive time drain.
Your traffic light ideas will help you define new business habits, make sure you don’t lose what is already serving your business well and put a clear focus on things that hold you back.
BRAND SWAP
Pick a brand you love or admire. Think about that brand and their approach.
Now write down as many ideas you can think of when you ask yourself what this brand would do with your business next year. What direction would they take it in? What would they achieve with it? Don’t worry about how realistic your ideas are, just jot them all down. You can do this with as many different brands as you like.
PARTNER UP
Find a friendly colleague or associate who is also wanting to do some vision thinking. Give them a brief highlights package of your business in the last year – things that have gone well, stuff you’ve tried, the clients you have had, key successes, failures, when you have done your best work etc – and get them to give you a vision for your next 12 months. You’re not allowed to interrupt, criticise or roll your eyes. Just listen. Once done, pick 3 things from the vision that could work and you find interesting and pop them on Post-Its. Now do the same for them.
FLIPPING SHOULD
Put 10 Post-Its in a column. On each on, write one thing that you SHOULD do in the next 12 months to grow your business. Once you have your ten go back to the top. This ‘should’ is now illegal… so what will you do instead? Write the ideas that come to mind as alternatives next to the first Post-It. Repeat down the column.
SEASON THINKING
Break your 12-month vision into the seasons. Think about the things you most want to do, the thinks you would love to achieve in your business in each of the four seasons and write all your ideas on Post-Its.
Perhaps the seasons tie into seasonal activity in your business, or use the seasons to inspire ideas, like what new things can you plant in spring?
GO BACK TO THE START
Our vision thinking can sometimes be fogged with the baggage of where we are and the current situation of our business. So assume that you had to start again tomorrow. You will build your business from scratch. On your Post-Its, write down at least 10 things you will do to create an amazing business and things you want to achieve if you were standing back at the start.
Pay attention to the elements of the business that are not included in this new plan – and decide if these elements still should be part of your future business.
GET PERSONAL
Small business owners know that there is a thin wall between ‘life’ and ‘business’, so your personal vision or aims for the next 12 months are important to consider. Capture the vision for your life outside the business on Post-Its. More time with the kids? Work a 4 day week? Write a book? Learn to ski? Volunteer once a month? Go on the Great British Bake Off? All of the above?
Once you have run these exercises, review all your Post-It ideas, grouping them into themes or key areas of your vision.
You can then transfer these to a Vision Idea board that becomes a visual North Star for your year. Bring this to life with colour, or illustrations.
Or write a review of the 12 months as if you were at the end of the time period, making sure you include all the key achievements and changes from the Post-Its.
Now you’re ready to create your growth strategy for the year…but that’s another blog entirely.