HOW TO CREATE YOUR BUSINESS VISION BOARD

Every business is built on a dream; an aspiration that the seed planted will grow into something bigger and better, however for many people, how to nurture and grow this dream is never articulated in their business plan.?Those that do have a plan largely rely on a vision board to inform them of where they want to be and more importantly how they will get there.

Vision boards were first used in England at the turn of the 21st century to seek public participation in Gloucester County and have since morphed into personal and corporate vision boards. Generally, the board helps you:-

• Have a visual representation of your plans
• Allows you to have a declaration of intent and in doing so helps in shifting mindsets
• Introduces accountability in the form of timelines and achievement of deliverables set
• Serves as a continuous reminder of your set goals.

These four elements are key, however, we should remember that whatever goals we set must be bound under SMART fundamentals i.e. Specific, Measurable, Attainable,?Realistic, and Time-bound.?

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Adhering to SMART objectives means you and your business can achieve your vision via action; for example, if you say you want to holiday in location X, the action needed is for you to research, book travel and hotel, etc. a process we also know as planning and execution.?Thus the vision board does not only show what you want to do but it also highlights the nitty gritty details and steps necessary to achieve your goals.

Vision boards like all other plans have to be built/developed or structured and they follow structured patterns that guide us from endless possibilities to what we can realistically achieve in set timelines.

1. Brainstorming

The first step involves the collection of ideas via a brainstorming session. Brainstorming allows for the business to collect as many ideas as possible; be they common, mundane, radical, or bold and it is a continuous process that asks the question what if?

2. Research and Prioritize

Once the brainstorming is done, you research and prioritize based on the SMART objectives to sift the chaff from the wheat.?This second step now helps us narrow down to priority areas and focus on them by allocating resources to them.?It helps the organization save time and money by focusing on what is important and doable.

3. Setting Targets and Timelines

This answers the question of what needs to be done by when and what milestone markers we follow. Here as an organization you have identified what you need to pursue and you make it actionable by adding dates and timelines.

4. Establish Accountability and Set Indicators

Further, you also allocate roles thus giving accountability for delivery to specific people and finally, you set indicators by giving your target numbers; e.g. to increase daily online sales by 27% or grow social media numbers to 5000 in 2 months.?The more specific the goals are the clearer and actionable they are.?This final step essentially answers the question, ‘What does success look like’?

5. Plotting Visuals

Given its name, the vision board is very visual; thus the final step involves plotting images that create the actual vision board.?Human nature tends to get excited and build castles in the sky with our vision; however, wisdom dictates we need to use images that give the most realistic representation of the journey we want to take.?The images you use must speak to you and your reality thus if you want to set up a school in Kibera, do not use images of Chinese students in a high-end school.

6. Create an Achievement Board

A final step that many overlook is concluding your process with an achievement board, our measurement and evaluation tool. This is the equivalent of a before and after picture that shows where you started the journey vs. where you are at the end of the journey; did you achieve the 27% growth, if yes how did you do it, if no, what were the challenges and how do you remedy them?

All in all, a vision board is a declaration of your self-belief and something as an organization that we need to look at every day as it keeps us accountable in our journey from where we are to where we want to be.

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Should you wish to get a partner to walk with you in your journey to move from where you are to where you want to be Springboard Capital is your ideal partner.?We have the expertise and networks to illuminate your path and grow with you and your business.?We also offer various loan products such as Business Loan, Emergency Loan, Asset Financing, Salaried Loan, Loan against Logbook, Import Duty Financing or Title Deed Loan, to help grow and manage all operations. Contact us today at?0700 944 444 or WhatsApp us through?the button below, or email us at?[email protected].Click here to WhatsApp us 0700 094 444

Article based on Hannah Tarindwa's?BizSmart?Webinar Presentation–?Hannah?is a Creativity Consultant, Writer, Public Speaker and Confidence Building Facilitator. She has been working with individuals, social groups and corporate teams to develop Vision Board since 2023 in addition to training people on how they can 'Create their Creative Lives."