Your Checklist:
- Many of the businesses I have helped have exhibited the same, or similar, basic operational characteristics and progress-eroding issues.
- This short list might act as a "self audit" to help determine what needs doing to get your business on track.
- This is, or should be, your most important tool.
- It is essential that you have a spreadsheet showing every individual income and expense line item on a monthly basis for the past year and looking forward for one or two years.
- This is needed by your loan officer and by you, and your Board, to identify exceptional expenses that need to be covered by income.
- In particular it tracks projected increases, (never decreases), in utility, labor and material costs.
- Which then drives your marketing and sales programs.
- (Whenever I was involved in a "turnaround" this was the first business control tool I would build.
It drove staff increases/reductions and provided the basis for calculating the key operating ratios).
- Do you have one? How effective a marketing tool is it?
- We can build you a simple site, with all the needed email, etc. links: video clips, contact me form, etc.
- Examples: www.adobe29.com; www.thesilenceandthesun.com
- Do collect all your customer's email addresses? If not, why not?
- This is the easy way to send out "specials" to folks who have already bought from you.
- What? They don't have email or a computer?
- So what? Collect their names and addresses and phone numbers.
Send post cards, or phone them, for that personal touch, if they are big spenders.
- This is needed to provide you, your investors, your key staff, your banker and major vendors with evidence that you have clear vision of where you are going, and how you intend to get there.
- You need to understand how all the presently available internet and electronic marketing tools can help expand your customer base and sphere of influence.
- The plan will have tasks, cost per task, and Return on Investment details.