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Do you find yourself spread too thin as an entrepreneur?  Trying to do everything you can to find the balance of spending time finding clients, marketing yourself, and serving the clients you have under your belt can be an overwhelming task.  It’s a great time of year to analyze where you are at with your business, what you can do better, and to set goals for the new year.   Here’s a couple of items to focus on to get you started.

What is your vision statement?
Where are you headed? Where will you be in 5-10 years? Keep this statement simple, yet impactful and purpose driven.  A couple examples:  “To dominate the global food service industry.” -McDonalds,  ”We will put a man on the moon before the end of the decade.” -JFK-1961

What are you core values?
What will you go to the wall for?  Integrity, family, leadership, dedication, expertise, passion, reliable, professional are all examples.  What defines you to your core?  What are those values you will stand by no matter what?

What is your competitive advantage?
This is what makes you unique and makes people say, “wow! I want to do business with you.”  This is a key item to know, if you haven’t established this already. 

 Setting a couple hours of planning time aside can give you better focus and make you more productive.  It will help you know where you are headed, and will give you a focused list of priorities.  A couple weeks ago, I sat down to answer these questions for myself.  I learned a lot in the process.  I couldn’t believe how much I was doing that didn’t tie into where I wanted to be in 5-10 years.  I plan on making this a yearly routine to evaluate where I am and where I want to be.  I know where I want to be in 10 years… now I just need to do the right steps to get there!

Have you started your strategic planning for next year?  What have you learned along the way?

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