Many people turn their attention to Christmas and the holiday season and begin to think, what gift should I get Bob?  Where should we hold the Christmas staff party? How much can I spend on Christmas?

Did you know that many Canadians go Christmas shopping without a budget in mind, and even a percentage of those who do budget will ignore the bottom line.

Why is this important and why is Muskoka Futures telling you this? Well, because we believe in plans.  Business plans, financial plans, succession plans, strategic plans. We’re just a bunch of big planners. Now, that being said, we also like to fly by the seat of our pants sometimes, but we like to know that somewhere there is a framework. 

So often the poor old business plan gets beaten up. Clients who hear those two dreaded words recoil in fear at the thought of having to create one or update one. So, let’s think about this from a Christmas perspective.

Let’s say you have 12 guests coming for dinner. How are you going to feed them?  Do you have enough chairs? Have you actually invited them or are you hoping they will just know about your dinner? What will you do to ensure dinner is ready on time? Can you do it all yourself?  Do you have enough money to go and get all the dinner fixings or will you need to borrow some money from the spouse? What happens after dinner? 

In order to ensure your party is a success, you ask these questions, you plan and then you follow it through.  Sure, things will come up and plans will change slightly – ¬someone gets sick or brings a guest, or maybe Lucy tells you she is allergic to nuts! The point is you have put the time into planning and now you have your framework to work in.

Why not do this with your business or your human resources, or even your finances? Don’t just get wrapped up in an idea and then run off in all directions. We strongly encourage all business owners and managers to take the time to plan and once you have the plan, don’t put it on a shelf. Use it as your corporate back bone. Your employees should all read it, believe it and live it. You should be proud that you have something to speak for your business when you can’t.

Business plans are not all about numbers. They are about goal-setting, actions to be taken and outcomes.

 Muskoka Futures has great tools and tips to help you complete a business plan. We encourage you to visit ww www.muskokafutures.ca/llinks to find out more about business plans. Give yourself the gift of planning.  Sometimes it isn’t fun, but boy, it can save your life!