Strategic Planning for SME Owners

Quick Wins for Strategic Planning 2025

As we approach the new calendar year, now’s the time to streamline your business strategy for success. Here’s a three-step guide to tackle strategic planning quickly and efficiently:

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1. Set Your Top 3 Goals Identify three clear objectives for the year—think profitability, market expansion, or operational efficiency. Keep them specific and measurable to avoid vague aspirations.
2. Break It Down For each goal, outline 2–3 actionable steps. For instance:
3. ?Assign ResponsibilityEmpower your team to take ownership of these steps. Delegate tasks clearly, set deadlines, and check in regularly without micromanaging.

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Outcome to Expect

A focused plan will keep your team aligned and motivated while reducing initiative fatigue. You’ll see faster progress on critical goals and free up time to focus on bigger opportunities.

Kickstart your planning today and ensure your business is ready to thrive in 2025.

App of the month

My Viewpoint

First of all I want to point out that I am paying subscriber to the Zoho One platform.

After bouncing around many CRM and various other platforms over the past 4 years Hubspot, Pipedrive, Hootsuite, ActiveCampaign to name a few. Five months ago someone mentioned how good Zoho was for Small and Medium sized businesses, so I thought I would give it a go.

I'm so pleased I did...

My initial intention was to use it as a CRM, but the more I used the platform and realised the power of the 40+ apps it offers in one subscription, I now use it for social media scheduling and stats tracking, website visitor data and live chat, deal pipeline tracking, tasks and 1:1 emails with clients. I also use Zoho Surveys instead of Google Forms and Type Forms saving me even more money.

The next step is to move my finance suite from Xero to Zoho One Books.

All 42 apps for the a similar price I pay for my monthly Xero account subscription.

Take a look at Zoho One here

The word from Zoho ??

Zoho One is a comprehensive suite of over 45 integrated applications designed to streamline various business functions, including sales, marketing, finance, and human resources.

By consolidating these tools into a single platform, it eliminates the complexities associated with managing multiple disparate systems, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and reducing costs.

This unified approach facilitates seamless data flow across departments, enabling small businesses to automate workflows, improve collaboration, and make informed decisions based on real-time insights.

Client

From stressed, sleepless nights to my head buzzing with inspiration and new ideas.

I had a clear vision for the business but lacked the expertise to realise it. Feeling overwhelmed I struggled to keep the business moving forward. Challenges with staff performance, dealer network organisation, and supplier issues compounded my difficulties. This all changed when I met David at a B2B growth event. His presentation on Scaling Up resonated with me and highlighted the exact position of our company.

After booking three sessions with David, our business growth trajectory fundamentally shifted. Together, we refined the company vision, established clear goals, and outlined our objectives for the coming year, ensuring alignment across our entire staff. We now take a systematic approach to our operations and have clarity on what needs to be achieved. By implementing targets, we maintain a sharp focus on our goals.

Today, we have a cohesive vision and a dedicated team working towards it. We utilise David's 90-day activity planner ensuring every team member is accountable for their role in our business's growth. David's guidance has been invaluable in improving our relationships with suppliers and resolving long-standing issues. We have successfully implemented guidelines for our dealer network and made crucial process updates, ensuring we deliver the best possible service to both dealers and end-users.

On a personal level, my confidence has significantly increased, and I am genuinely enthusiastic about executing the growth plan. I cannot recommend David enough; his guidance has been transformative for both our business and my personal development.

Clare Murray

Director

How You Can Work With Me

I help B2B business owners unlock their full potential.

If you want more sales and profit, clarity, control and momentum in your business, take my 7 question Business Growth Assessment to highlight the key areas of your business that impact growth and?I will review your answers and send you a personalised video.

Take the Business Growth Assessment Here

Stay Curious, Stay Ahead

Best

David