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Where Do You Want To Be?
Where Are You Now?
How Do You Get To Where You Want To Be?
Business Plan
Based on Growing Your Own Business: A Workbook by Ron Immink and Brian O'Kane, published by Oak Tree Press, ISBN 1 86076 238 7.
Available from good bookshops, from www.oaktreepress.com, or from Oak Tree Press at the address below.
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I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, and I’ve never
met one who said, “I want to get rich” who did. The successful ones say, “I want to find a way to do animation faster” or “I’m really interested in adhesion”. Prof Jon Goodman, University of Southern California
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Where Do You Want To Be? ...... looks to the future of your business. It’s part dream, part vision, part decision – the equivalent of deciding to sail around the world. It’s a “first cut”, a draft of your eventual strategy, since any strategy must take into account the real world in which it is to be implemented. Therefore, your initial thoughts on strategy may be amended several times as you work through this workbook. Nonetheless, it is important that you stake an early direction for your business. After all, if you don’t know where you want to go, how will you work out how to get there – let alone know when you have arrived?The key issues for attention are:
All these contribute – in a unique mix for each business – to a sustainable competitive advantage. A most important decision is what you mean by “growth”. If asked “What is growth?”, most people will reply along the lines of “Bigger, better, more profitable”. But “bigger” does not necessarily mean “more profitable” – in fact, many businesses sacrifice profitability in the short-term (and, sometimes, forever) in the rush to grow bigger and gain more market-share. “Better” begs the question “In what way?”. “More profitable” could mean “smaller” – as you shed unprofitable parts of your existing business. Because there is so much uncertainty at this stage, you should define four statements for the business that will help clarify your thinking on its future shape and direction:
Use the exercises in Growing Your Own Business: A Workbook by Ron Immink and Brian O'Kane to help you to decide where you want to be. |
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Growing Your Own Business: A Workbook by Ron Immink and Brian O'Kane, published by Oak Tree Press, ISBN 1 86076 238 7,
was developed with the support of InterTradeIreland 
and Equity Network 