The Business Roadmap

30 Essential Steps to Success

Contents

Before We Start - We delve into setting up a business and explore whether entrepreneurship is right for you, and whether you have an idea that delivers sufficient value to someone who in turn will pay for your product or service.

Day 0 - Do you have a Business?

The Business Owner - The most valuable asset of any small business is the business owner. If they fail to perform then so does the business. In this section we oversee the needs of the Business owner and some essential tools and step to take that will help to protect them.

Day 1 - Mindset and Attitude

Day 2 - Environment

Day 3 - Health

Day 4 - Personal Goal Setting

Day 5 - Time Bandits

Day 6 - Time Management

Business Planning and Strategies - In the absence of a strategy and a vision, it is difficult to measure your performance as a business owner or the performance of the business. Setting a few simple goals and understanding your business objectives, helps to keep the business focused which in turn helps secure its direction and trajectory.

Day 7 - Elevator Pitch

Day 8 - Value Proposition

Day 9 - Change and Innovate

Day 10 - Price

Day 11 - Planning

Day 12 - Action Setting

Business Health Check - This is the most critical section and the area that should be on repeat. Every aspect of this section should become a habit, a regular routine, with some aspects more frequent than others. Truly understanding the health and condition of your business allows you to react more quickly to any need for change, whether that is an opportunity to grow or a threat to the business.

Day 13 - Health Wealth and Relationships

Day 14 - Your Assets

Day 15 - Risk Assessment

Day 16 - Cash in the Bank

Day 17 - Systems, Tools and Processes in the Business

Day 18 - Business Values

Day 19 - Your Team

Day 20 - Performance Reviews

Day 21 - Training and Development

Sales and Marketing - Sales and marketing is not a mystic art, but there are certain nuances that make it work, as opposed to fail. A failing sales strategy is almost certainly a failing business and a failing marketing strategy, can be very costly without much return, which inevitably ends in a business failing.

Day 22 - Target Customers

Day 23 - Customer Experience

Day 24 - Ecommerce

Day 25 - Marketing

Day 26 - Sales Cycle, Managing Leads and CRM

Day 27 - Networking

Day 28 - Sales

Management and Leadership - Not to be ignored by sole traders. Everyone has a team that makes the business work. Just because your family, your friends at the bar and the person that helps with your website are not employees, they are still part of your team. Do not underestimate the respect and support they have given you.

Day 29 - You, The Business Owner

Day 30 - Take Action

In "The Business Roadmap," we delve into the core principles that underpin every successful business venture. From the importance of managing yourself (the business owner) to understanding the absolute business essentials like cash flow forecasts, marketing principles and sales techniques.

Presented in thirty concise, 5-minute chapters, this guide is designed for you to read one chapter per day at a leisurely pace. A successful business is not just one lap around the racetrack; it is about getting into the driver’s seat, knowing what you are doing, and winning.

So, take your time to get it right.

• Day 0: For those entrepreneurs who have a Formula 1 racing car of an idea, but currently lack the experience of how to drive it.

• Day 1 - 6: For entrepreneurs who know how to drive their F1 racing car, but not to its full potential.

• Day 7 – 30: For more experienced drivers who want to learn how far and how fast their F1 racing car can go!

Introduction

Why 30 steps?

There are actually hundreds of steps to make a business successful because it is always changing. But for this guide, we group some of the key essential steps together and focus them into 30 key steps. This way, it allows you to dedicate just one month to evaluate the health of your idea or business and assess if you have what it takes or if your business is on the right path.

If you believe your business is already successful, congratulations! However, if you start feeling like every day is the same and your business is not growing, it might be a sign that you are not focusing on all the essential steps outlined in this guide. It is important to regularly reassess what you are doing, why you are doing it and be sure you are covering all bases, as outlined in this guide.

And that is what this is. This is a guide, like a handbook, similar to the Cub Scouts handbook. It will highlight the importance of choosing the right camping spot and comment on what to look out for. However, it will not tell you how to set up your tent. That is down to you, because you know your business better than anyone. This guide will put you on the path and show you what to consider along the way.

So, to be clear, this guide is not a shortcut to instant wealth. Rather, it is designed to highlight the key tasks and challenges involved in achieving business success. While it provides valuable insights and strategies, it cannot guarantee success on its own.

To make this guide an easy read, the steps covered are structured into five distinct chapters. This approach aims to make it easier for business owners to understand, apply, and reinforce learned behaviours over time.

• The Business Owner – You

• Business Planning & Strategies - Business Futures

• Business Health Check - Business Present

• Sales and Marketing – Business Growth

• Management and Leadership – You (again)

To help you picture your unique business roadmap and the journey ahead, this guide will draw parallels between running your business and taking a ride in a taxi:

• You (The Business Owner) / The Passenger: As the business owner, you are comparable to the passenger. It is crucial to know if you are ready for your taxi to arrive, and if not, then get ready before you start your journey.

• Business Futures / Your Destination: As in a taxi ride, you need to have a clear destination in mind for your business. Without a defined objective/destination it is impossible to know how you will get there, or if you have arrived.

• Business Present / Your Vehicle: Your business's current condition mirrors the taxi condition that will take you on your journey. Is it capable of taking you as far as you want to go? Are you equipped to navigate the challenges and bumps in the road ahead.

• Business Growth / The Route You Take: Your sales and marketing strategy determines the manner in which you will travel. Without a well-defined strategy, you might find your taxi ride was more expensive than you had planned, it might only take you half the way, or it might get you to your final destination freewheeling downhill with great momentum but out of control

• The Business Leader / The Taxi Driver: As the business leader, you are both the passenger and the taxi driver. You are responsible for steering the business, making decisions, and ensuring a safe successful journey. Accountability rests squarely on your shoulders.

By understanding this analogy and embracing your role as both passenger and driver, this guide can steer you and your business towards success.

However, before we start planning our journey too deeply, if you are a Sole Trader or just starting a business, we need to consider if running a business is right for you.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?

Day 0 - Do you have a Business?

Before we enter the 30 essential steps for a successful business, we need to assess whether you actually have a viable business. You might have a product or service concept that you would buy, but would others? And if not, do you have the energy, the passion, and the techniques to convince them?

Later in this guide we will cover techniques and skills necessary to get customers to convert from being aware of your product or service, to being a customer of it. But before that, do you have “a great idea” and do you have the determination, that when faced with failure, you see it as a lesson and a step closer to getting it right?

Read on........