Emerson Patton, founder of Bright Business Advice, explains why a business plan should be a fundamental aspect of all security and fire businesses, outlining seven key aspects to include and keep track of.
Want to know something crazy? At least 80% of the business owners I talk to don’t have a business plan. You would never tender or install on a big job without a set of plans. It couldn’t be built. It would be a disaster just seeing what happens as you go along. And yet I see so many times a business is being built without a plan; or a basic plan gets written and then shoved in a drawer and not looked at again. Our most successful clients follow their plan!
A business plan should be a living, breathing document. The first thing we always suggest is a strategy and planning session using the ‘Bright 7-Sector Orbit’ Model so you can then put an effective, well-rounded plan in place across each of the key business sectors shown below: We use the human body as a system, each piece working together to explain the model, as it’s one of the most effective systems on the planet!
Leadership: it’s like the head, specifically the right side of the brain, focusing on developing knowledge, engaging people, and understanding their emotions. Creating your vision and strategy. It’s where winning mindsets and attitudes are formed.
Management: the left side of the brain is concerned with logic, writing plans, regularly reviewing, monitoring, and improving your business structure. This is the ‘who does what and by when’.
Finance: it’s like the torso of the body, focused on turning food into energy. Our finance operation converts work into cash. Cashflow is the energy and lifeblood of your business and without it, the business dies.
Operations: it’s like the right leg. It helps to power the business forwards by following systems and completing works to high standards. Mo Farah didn’t win a gold medal by luck. He had a coach, a team, and a system in place for success.
HR: is the left leg. It’s about developing higher performance teams with a positive culture. Creating job descriptions, appraisals, performance management processes and recruitment systems.
Marketing: is like the left arm of the business. Creating an opportunities pipeline with new leads or with existing customers. It’s 6-7 times cheaper to work with existing customers than it is to attract new customers. By building solid relationships with existing customers, they will buy more.
Sales: It’s the right arm. By developing your sales processes effectively, you will generate sales much more consistently. When you combine focused marketing with a sales funnel with motivated and interested people, you’ll have a higher conversion rate.
Want to Power Up your business in 2022? Attend a Business Bright Advice online workshop for FREE, here.
About the author
Emerson Patton is founder of Bright Business Advice, and creator of the ‘Bright 7-Sector Orbit’ business model. Since 2005, Emerson has been passionate about business coaching and sharing what he learnt during his corporate and business coaching career to give you, the business owner, more time with your families and the resources you need to enjoy your life.
Emerson’s spent years helping fire & security contracting businesses by using the ‘Bright 7-Sector Orbit’ Model to improve structures and systems in their businesses to help manage, control and grow more effectively.
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