Craft Focus - Feb/Mar (Issue 71)

There’s a natural inclination at the beginning of each new year to look ahead and re-evaluate your habits to ensure you’re on the right track. This is just as relevant in your business life as your personal one, and every company needs a strategic plan if it wants to succeed and grow. However, it’s how you implement your ideas and stay the course that is the recipe for success. Whether you’re aiming for big things or setting small, manageable goals, it’s best to take it one step at a time. Breaking each task down into smaller chunks is a great way to make things less daunting. Do you want to take your business in a new direction, increase profits or move your premises? Think about what you want to achieve over the next 12 months and make a plan to ensure these goals are met. You must think about the why before you can move onto the how, whether that’s securing funding, beginning the search for rental space or setting up a market research project. Make a plan Writing down each step gives greater clarity to your plan and is a handy document to refer back to when things feel like they’re veering off track. Be specific and descriptive when you’re setting down each step – anything too vague can be misinterpreted. Set yourself a deadline for each part and do everything you can to meet it. Identify the resources you will need to reach each step and determine who in your business will be responsible for each of your goals. Keeping your wider staff informed is also key to making sure this is a smooth process. Everyone needs to be clear on the company’s vision, so they can help in some way towards implementing it. Gaining insight from your employees is always a smart strategy, as several brains are better than one. However, if you do ask for input, be open to putting it in place, otherwise they’ll be less likely to offer their opinions in future. Best foot forward Once your roadmap is in place and everyone is clear on their role, don’t take your foot off the pedal. Ensure that your goals can be tracked, measured and analysed in some way and have regular meetings with those integral to your mission to evaluate any potential problems or delays so you can nip them in the bud early. This supportive strategy also fosters a feeling of teamwork, so everyone feels they’re working towards a shared objective. Remaining the driving force behind your plan will allow you to stay focused on the end goal, while others can narrow their focus and work on the smaller details. Together, with strong management and good communication, it’s possible to achieve your goals for 2019, whatever they may be. A new year offers the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate your business, says Sara Davies Making a fresh start Sara Davies MBE is founder of Crafter’s Companion. crafterscompanion.co.uk 120 craft focus