The importance of business planning

At several recent workshops, I asked the workshop participants how many of their companies prepared an annual business plan. I was surprised that in both workshops, only 20% of the companies represented actually prepared a business plan. It was interesting to note that at a follow-up question where I asked how each company was coping with the economy, they all admitted to their business being tougher than ever but the ones who earlier acknowledged that they prepare a business plan also indicated that they were doing reasonably well in a tough economy. They had a formal business plan, worked it continuously and adjusted areas as the year progressed.

That is not surprising. When a company properly prepares and executes on their business plan, the results that they achieve typically far exceed the results of companies that do not have a plan. In addition, their plan provides a basis for a scorecard of performance throughout the year. Without a plan, a company doesn’t know if they are leaving money on the table because they have no idea what they should be able to achieve.

Many companies don’t know where to begin in preparing a business plan. This is where an investment in attending a Business Planning Workshop would be a great benefit. The workshop is tailored for the Office Products industry and takes you through every detail of what a plan should entail and how to work through every detail. You will come out of there fully prepared to work with your team to construct and execute on a plan for your company