Businesses often evolve rather than being built strategically, and a lot of the evidence supports this as a route to building a strong businesses. However, whilst we are not a great fan of business planning at the start of a business (insert link to relevant blog) we think there are some great ways to use business planning approaches to review your established business. This blog series contains exercises to encourage you to review and refine your business.

Help From my Friends

For this week’s exercise you’ll need a little help from some of your clients, and (optional) some cheese and wine. First, write yourself a list of what you do/what you sell. Secondly, write the list again, and this time make it much, much simpler. Thirdly, get some valued clients round, ply them with wine and edam and try and work out what they truly value about what you do. When we do this exercise with clients they have always been surprised by what they have learned. Too often we focus on parts of the service which are far removed from the things customers really value about working with you.

This can feel like a bit of an artificial exercise, but done with enthusiasm and an open mind you may be surprised by what you discover. Give it a try and let us know how you get on – tellmemore@rubystarassociates.co.uk/dev

 

Blog by Isla…