Small Business Growth Group Week 1
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Taking Inventory
This week, we are focused on inventory, organization, and the first step toward building new opportunities.
The Small Business Growth Group’s first course kicks off Monday, March 13, 2023. Business owners will come prepared with a list of their current and past marketing activities. We’ll review the group’s combined list and talk through what’s been successful, and how success is defined.
Success that can be measured
We’ll pair up, each owner connected with another, and talk through our business goals. Some owners plan to launch a new product or service while others plan to expand their territories, and yet others need to include new audiences to attract.
Discussing a mix of goals helps the group get a broader perspective of business planning and resource considerations. Everyone in the group benefits because goals change over time and having diverse views brings a range of options for everyone to consider. We’ll focus on each owner’s goal. Every owner will get input and past successes from each member.
The backward game
Starting at the end result, we’ll put milestones in place that break down the steps to achieve the goal. For some, it may be only three milestones, and for others, it may be more. The object of the exercise is to work backward to see what needs to be considered and acted upon in each milestone. Each activity must be an active contribution to the goal in order to be added to any milestone. This helps frame how each owner’s goal can be met and sets aside distractions that can’t add value to the goals.
Prioritizing and valuing tactics
Next, we’ll take a look at everyone’s list of marketing activities. The effectiveness of typical small business marketing tactics depends on several factors. We’ll discuss the key considerations for marketing tactics and determine which activities we’ll test first in our early milestones. We’ll discuss how we’ll measure success for each tactic in everyone’s early milestones.
The first thirty minutes
Last, we’ll discuss a short list of activities that can be completed in the first 30 minutes of every business owner’s day. By the end of the six weeks, we’ll revisit the progress that the total of 900 minutes has brought to each owner. The tasks are short, actionable, and build awareness one focused 30-minute block at a time.
Checklists, tools, and other fun goodies
No one leaves our first without some great tools and checklists. Why buy an SOP off the rack when you can easily build one in the group that is customized to your business? The whole point of an SOP (standard operating procedure) is that it fits your business like a glove. I’m excited to share best practices, help guide focus for small business owners, and hopefully spark lifelong relationships in the growth group!
Let’s make it a great week, everyone! ~ Jeanie
