Have you done it yet?

[PrimaDonna]

Who's got their plan, budget and strategic goals in place for 2015?

I'm at Jon Don Strategic Planning Seminar in Chicago as I write this. Can't emphasize enough how important it is to take time away from the business to do this. It's my second time taking a few days away from the business work on it. Hard to take the time away, but worth it.

How do you do your strategic plan (or don't you)? Do you take a few days, do it in your head, work with a consultant? How often to you review your plan through the year?

 

[Desk Jockey]

No we have not gotten to it yet, typically wait until after the holidays. We will take a few days and layout the year forecasting sales, marketing, management.

We go through and project what our sales maybe in the individual services we offer going off last years sales. We also take into account some history with that services yearly sales.

Review marketing budget, what our results have been and make some decisions what media/vehicle to focus our efforts towards.

We review current staffing, weaknesses, what if any changes will be needed addition or subtraction.

Examine each service and evaluate with the staff's input. Do we need new vehicles, equipment in the up coming year?
We really want to define if it is a true need or simply a luxury to add these things.

Review pricing for profit. Are we maintaining reasonable margins? What is costing us and what can we do about it. What has to be raised and how much.

Its no fun but certainly worth the time invested to get on the right path early.

 

[Shane Deubell]

I actually enjoy doing that stuff

 

[Shane Deubell]

Already started and chopped about $3k a year from payroll processing.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I actually enjoy doing that stuff

Not me!

While positive and very necessary there are always issues revealed that need attention. Spending days with my brother can very frustrating as we usually end up in arguments too. It wears on me and I don't look forward to it.

Dan calls it a yearly underwear check.

and he calls me UN professional.

 

[hogjowl]

I determine my yearly nap goal and adjust my plan from there.

 

[Able 1]

We have been doing like 15-20% better every year, and never had any plan EVER.. We are raising our prices for this next year, just because. I do need some classes though, I'm going to try to get to SFS.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Year to year isn't "strategic".

 

[Shane Deubell]

Not me!

Spending days with my brother can very frustrating as we usually end up in arguments too. It wears on me and I don't look forward to it.

Dan calls it a yearly underwear check.

and he calls me UN professional.

Lie, Cheat and Steal is my motto in those situations

 

[Desk Jockey]

“Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away”

 

[Brian H]

I was done with 2015 budgets and sales forecasts by the first of November. We just wrapped up the company Strategic Initiatives for 2015 last week.

 

[Desk Jockey]

You guys rock!

Throw anyone proposal in the trash this time?

 

[PrimaDonna]

I actually enjoy doing that stuff

Me too!

 

[Louis]

I have always wanted to go to SFS. I haven't been able to save enough to shut down for a whole week and pay for SFS.
Purchasing & planning is what I did for Kodak for years. 200K a week in product, 24hr a day operation with j.i.t. (just in time) inventory system. It was fun until a 10k pallet of paper was missing or damaged.

 

[Becker]

No,, I have my Q1 planned out. during Q1 I will grind out my master plan for 2015.

I'd be happy keeping 2 vans busy in Jan and Feb, 3rd van coming.

I spend Jan Feb, the somewhat slower months lining up the ducks.

 

[Papa John]

My lead guy who is also my "Ex-Brother-in-law" has finally made enough mistakes and learned from them That he just might become valuable!? My next goal is for him to only have ONE personality instead of TWO

Also working on buying a warehouse to do more area rugs and buying "toys" from Centrum- Force.

 

[PrimaDonna]

I have always wanted to go to SFS. I haven't been able to save enough to shut down for a whole week and pay for SFS.

If you go...what you will learn will more than make up for the week you were gone....and give you enough money to shut down a week every year to keep going. Sometimes it takes money to make money. Tighten your belt to make it to SFS and then you'll need to let out your belt a few notches!

 

[Steve Toburen]

If you go...what you will learn will more than make up for the week you were gone....and give you enough money to shut down a week every year to keep going. Sometimes it takes money to make money. Tighten your belt to make it to SFS and then you'll need to let out your belt a few notches!

Thanks, Meg!

Steve

PS Louis, I can help you with the "can't pay for SFS" part. Just spend a total of 5K or more on ANYTHING Jon-Don sells over the 12 months before your chosen seminar and your regular 1275.00 SFS class is free. (That works out to a 25% discount on stuff you are going to buy anyway.) The "shut down for a whole week" challenge is on you. Like Meg says...

I have always wanted to go to SFS. I haven't been able to save enough to shut down for a whole week and pay for SFS.

 

[Louis]

Steve
You guys should do more west coast classes in the winter. Our winter is your spring time.
How many one man shows do you get at sfs?
I am looking at things I need to see if I can spend that much. Always wanted to go for years. I am going into my 10th year of business now. Survived one of worst down turns in the economy in my lifetime. Our area was hit hard and is just coming out of it. I want build my business now and get out of the life raft we have been in the last 7 years.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Dan has spent 5-days in KC at a Grow Smart business building program over the last three weeks.

· Unit 1: Planning for Growth
· Unit 2: Marketing—Research, Planning, and Implementation
· Unit 3: Leadership and Management
· Unit 4: Financial Analysis, Tools and Resources
· Unit 5: Operations and Implementing Your Plan


One thing he mentioned was we need to look at raising our prices again.

The speaker pounded it into them that slow incremental increases are hardly noticeable on the invoice yet at year end can make a huge impact on the bottom line.

So come January everything goes up if even just slightly.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

...and please don't "announce" a price increase.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I got one of those letters from our security company. It was only a $3.00 a month increase.

Hardly worth the effort of the letter.

 

[Steve Toburen]

... How many one man shows do you get at sfs?... I want build my business now and get out of the life raft we have been in the last 7 years.

Ouch, Louis. I feel for you. Everyone sets their own definition of success but being desperate and "under the gun" in NO fun.

Given that over half of our industry is comprised of "one man shows" we do get a lot of owner-operators at SFS. Do all of them "get big" after spending five days at SFS? No. But all our attendees leave with tricks on how to make a ton more money. (Whether as an owner-operated "boutique cleaning company" or a large operation.)

Making the jump from small to big can be agonizing. For example, Mike Lamunyon was a small operator trying to grow. Mike says SFS helped him.. a lot. (IF an owner wants to grow their company we include business expansion tools like our 860 page Operations Manual and a USB Flash Drive with over 3,000 pages on it- all free.)

Big companies also attend SFS. (In fact, I think that the "creative ferment" that happens in this stew of big and small is one of the biggest benefits of SFS.) For example, Chet Pharies owns one of the largest cleaning and restoration companies in Texas. (120 employees in 5 locations.) Chet also says SFS helped him... go figger!

Hope to see you soon, Louis!

Steve

PS I do understand the "west coast" challenge, Louis. But to keep the cost of SFS affordable we only present it at Jon-Don branches. And given Big Billy's advanced age (and his brutal travel schedule) we can only fit in 8 SFS seminars per year. HERE is the 2015 SFS schedule.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Big Billy's advanced age

Some people ask for trouble...some people beg for it!