Running a startup is not all sunny days and clear skies. In fact, first-time founders and serial entrepreneurs alike will tell you, there are weeks and months of struggles, minimal hard-won successes, daunting lessons, crushing pressure, and financial instability involved in running a company. That’s why it takes a certain kind of person to believe in themselves and weather the sturm und drang that may wash over them. For an idea of the unwieldy weather to come, read on.
Well-chosen goals and objectives point a new business in the right direction and keep an established company on the right track. Just think about what football would be without end zones or what the Indianapolis 500 would be without a finish line.
When establishing goals and objectives, try to involve everyone who will have the responsibility of achieving those goals and objectives after you lay them out.
To help you better understand how you can set goals and objectives, you first need a good foundation for what the two are.
-
Goals establish where you intend to go and tell you when you get there. They help improve your overall effectiveness as a company — whether you want to increase your share of the market, for example, or improve your customer service. The more carefully you define your goals, the more likely you are to do the right things and achieve what you wanted to accomplish in the first place.
-
Objectives are the specific steps you and your company need to take in order to reach each of your goals. They specify what you must do — and when.
When how to write a business plan is at the top of the SBA list of the ten steps in how to start a business, it tells you something about how important the experts consider it to be. Planning a business and writing a business plan is more than just having a location picked and a product or service to sell. Financing, marketing strategy and future growth all require a well-researched and thought out business plan.
One of the most crucial roles you’ll play as an entrepreneur is the role of “decider.” Hopefully, one day you’ll rely on a team of advisors from individual departments within your organization to give you information and advise you of your options, but even in that context, the final decision will come down to you. You’ll be responsible for setting every major directive and making every significant call when charting the course of your business. While it can be an intimidating position, you can grow to become more skilled at it.
“Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map” is an initiative to help local businesses increase their presence online. Presented by Google, and the Small Business Development Center at Florida A&M University (Florida SBDC), staff worked with business owners, city officials, and lovers of all things local to spread the word about the importance of getting local business information on Google Search and Maps.
Local businesses are vital to America’s economic future. In fact, small businesses comprise half of the U.S. GDP and create two-thirds of all new jobs. And although nearly all consumers look online for products and services, many small businesses do not have any web presence at all.
The Workshop provided valuable information over a 4-hour period on Monday, November 30th. You can read more about the Workshop via the Tallahassee Democrat article posted here >
Please join us today in supporting America’s small business and entrepreneur community by participating in the sixth annual Small Business Saturday! Small Business Saturday plays a key role in driving customer traffic and growing revenue for our 28 million independent businesses during the important holiday retail season.
We already know that women business owners are driving the growth in small business, and that within that group, it’s women of color who are making the most progress.
But slice the data slightly differently, and you’ll find an unexpected trend: The group of business owners who are really putting stakes in the ground are women veterans. That’s right–women who have served in the armed forces and are now returning to civilian life to build businesses and jobs. Read More.
Switching out the American menu
The food-services sector is constantly evolving, as restaurants cater to changing consumer preferences, new lifestyle choices and demographic shifts. The trend toward health consciousness, coupled with an increasing interest in gourmet and high-quality cuisine, is inducing food-service operators to adopt value-added options, such as gluten-free foods, farm-to-table restaurant models and locally sourced produce. Additionally, as time-strapped consumers look to maximize their purchasing power without sacrificing food quality, they will continue to drive demand for niche food-service players like food trucks
How much capital do you really need to get your company up and running with money left over to operate? Answering that question is one reason a solid business plan is so important. If you raise too little, you risk running out of money before your business gets off the ground. Read More.
Randi is the Founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, editor-in-chief of Dot Complicated and the host of “Dot Complicated” on SiriusXM . She is also the author of two books. In Dot Complicated, a New York Times bestseller, Randi shares her personal journey on the front lines of tech, and her thoughts on how technology has completely changed our lives. Dot, a children’s picture book, features an energetic little girl who learns to find balance between her gadgets and playing outside with her friends, and has been optioned for TV rights by The Jim Henson Production Company. Read More.
