Are you in control of your day or does the day control you?

When first starting our business we undertook some excellent training provided by business link and the chamber of commerce, these were the days where business link employed actual people on the ground rather than their current call centre operation.

The training stressed amongst many things the importance of having a business plan, they provided us with a template which covered all the key things including marketing key people, financial forecasts etc… But some five years on the business plan has become a real working document and a daily source of reference.

I can remember people banging on about strategic planning and its importance, I would nod in the right places but could not really get my head around the difference. But having a business plan for the future is now my strategic plan and it maps out all of the developments we plan for the farm in the future, it covers green developments including tree planting, our land share programme and our community engagement through Young farmers. As well as marketing through social media and anticipated finances etc. The difference is in the separation between the strategic plan and the daily activities planned or otherwise which all in their own way contribute to the plan.

Fixing the JCB, having a tup who just wants to head but you at every opportunity, updating the web site, all contribute to the overall business plan but individually they could be dismissed as futile activity. What is really satisfying however is getting to the end of the year and visiting the plan to see what has been achieved and planning the things that need to be done.

So I guess if you don’t have a business or life plan, where are you going?