You Can’t Afford Not To Plan
Many business owners I work with struggle to set aside time to plan and strategize for their business.
And while I get it — oh man, do I get it — the reality is, the seasons where we feel we don’t have time to plan and strategize in our businesses actually indicate the seasons that we need to do so the most.
We are so quick to give time to everyone and everything but ourselves.
And your business is an extension of you. We must take the time to make sure we are clear on the direction and strategy for our business. Otherwise, we will end up stuck in a loop of constantly battling back and forth for our time, focus, and energy.
In this episode, I broke down 3 strategies to put in place to help make sure you are taking time to plan and strategize in your business.
1. Set aside 1 hour per week to track your metrics and data
Data is the foundation of clear decision making in your business. Often times it’s a daunting task though - not because we are not bought into the idea, but because the data is such a large undertaking to pull and organize. I recommend picking 5—7 metrics that you track on a weekly and monthly basis, and then use your hour every week to gather the data for your tracking.
Additionally, this practice will help you course correct on small things coming up in your business - if we keep a close eye on your metrics, it shows us when things are taking a turn that we need to pay attention to!
2. Set aside 1 afternoon per month
This is where we want to pull you out of the business a bit to look at the overall direction and focus of the business. This is your time for deep thought: what’s working? What isn’t? Use this time to identify the biggest bottlenecks in your business that need to worked out, and the biggest opportunities you see in front of you. Commit to leaving this session with a clear focus for the upcoming month.
3. Set aside 1 weekend per quarter
Hear me out — this is a practice I started doing about five years ago, and it’s become one of my favorite things. Once a quarter, I take a weekend by myself to deep dive my business. I review data, I review metrics, I look at the overall direction of the business. I take time to wrestle with questions like “is this business serving the lifestyle I want it to” and “what are the biggest areas I need to learn from in the last quarter” and “am I tracking to my goals?”
This is your time to quiet the noise and commit to a critical look at all components of your business — and your life, because those two things aren’t necessarily separate!
If this was helpful for you, I’d love for you to share and subscribe to the DogCo Secrets podcast. New episodes drop every Monday.
Michelle Kline is the founder of DogCo Launch and host of the DogCo Secrets Podcast. Michelle spends her time helping pet care companies in the industry grow and scale their pet care teams, increase their revenue, and increase personal profits — all while protecting their time. Learn more about Michelle here.
Do you want to scale your pet care business? Consider attending DogCo Business Summit, the first pet care conference focused exclusively on business scaling. Learn more at dogcosummit.com.