...We know what you're facing!

Typical challenges for a small business can include:

• Preparing the business for expansion
• Streamlining operations
• Improving employee productivity
• Increasing profitability
• Positioning for sale or succession
• Balancing between work and family

NorthWest Business Advisory's powerful “Ideas to Results” process will help you clarify, develop a plan and measure your progress toward your unique needs. We work with you to develop...

The Vision and Mission

The Vision is the genesis of most business start-ups. Often it comes of frustration about how it’s NOT with your current employer. It creates the entrepreneurial rush that drives people like you to start a new business. It may involve something like:

“My business will conduct construction projects where everything is on budget, on spec and on time.”

Once your Vision is clear, the Mission gets very specific about what the business will accomplish, whom it will benefit and what you will measure to evaluate your results.

"The Mission of my Company is to be the distributor of choice for convenience food products in the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.  We will provide exceptional return on the owners' investments by providing our customers with high quality service at competitive prices.  We will provide our employees with opportunities for professional growth and exceptional earnings."

Success Factors

How will you establish competitive distance between your company and your competition? What do you want to be known for? What are the relatively few things that you must do better than anyone else in order to accomplish the Mission and achieve your Vision?

For example, a provider of services to the elderly said:

• Knowledge of the market for senior services in every target market
• Thorough and consistent practice of sound management principles
• Clear criteria to govern franchisee selection
• Communication and constant feedback between management parent and franchisees
• Documented policies and procedures applied uniformly throughout the organization
• Uniform training provided to every franchisee
• Uniform management reporting throughout the organization

OK, now you know who you are and what you want to accomplish. Now it’s time for action; let’s do some…

Goal Setting

What are the specific things you want to accomplish, both long term and short term that will determine if you are accomplishing the Mission? Rooted in your Success Factors, they could be such things as:

• By 3/31/11, identify and retain suitable office space.
• By 6/30/11, have closed at least $475,000 in sales to targeted clients.
• By 12/31/11, recruit, hire and train four sales representatives.
• By 12/31/14, have annual sales of at least $2,500,000 and a net profit margin of at least 5%.

Goals are fine, but you need to have a plan for accomplishing them. Before you go too far, look at each Goal and set some...

Action Plans

If the Goal is “By 12/31/11, recruit, hire and train four sales representatives,” how will you accomplish it?

• Prepare a position description for a Sales Representative.
• Determine the best means of identifying suitable candidates.
• Try to have at least four viable candidates for each position.
• Have all positions filled by 9/30/11 to allow ample time for training.
• Spend at least 5 full days in the field with each new sales representative.

Your last task before launching your new (or renewed) company, is to think about how you will know if you are making progress. You are on a journey; how will you know if you are approaching your destination? You must define…

Performance Management

What results will you report? They are of no value if they are not specific and measurable, and might include such things as:

• % Sales growth from one period to the next.
• % of your Sales remaining after all expenses and taxes (including your own compensation).
• % of your employees who leave each year, for whatever reason.

Begin implementing solutions now.
Call us today on 425-957-1955!