Episode 91: From Heatwave to Headway: A Guide to Winning the Rest of the Year (A 5-part Summer Series) Pt.2

In the bustling world of business, it's easy to get overwhelmed with ideas. Last week, we discussed “GET IT OUT” as the first step to winning the rest of the year as well as the importance of 'brain dump' – the cathartic process of getting all your ideas out. But what next?

STEP 2: PLAN IT OUT!

Strategic Planning

Once you've emptied your mind, it's crucial to start planning. This isn't about merely organizing thoughts but strategizing the best path forward. Sometimes, there's more than one initiative to tackle, and multiple routes to success.

Think of it as spaghetti. When you pick up one noodle, others come with it. Similarly, when you start planning, you'll find interconnected goals. By focusing on one, you can inadvertently progress in another. It's about maximizing effort and building momentum.

Be Realistic and Adaptable

While ambition is commendable, realism is essential. With only a few months left in the year, it's crucial to prioritize. Break down your goals into manageable chunks – 30, 60, 90, or 120 days. This Tetris game of planning ensures you're not overwhelmed.

Moreover, remember that plans aren't set in stone. The business landscape is ever-evolving. As a small business owner, you have the advantage of nimbleness. You can adapt faster than larger entities. So, hold onto your plans, but not too tightly.

Conclusion

Strategic planning post-brain dump is like charting a map for a treasure hunt. It's about finding the best route, being realistic about the journey, and being ready to adapt. And if you ever need a guide, remember, strategy intensives are just a call away.

Ready to strategize your business goals? Schedule a strategy intensive with us today!

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Collab with Kiva.
See you next time!

Are you ready to take massive action in your business and harness the power of data in your decision-making? Let’s chat 👇🏽

Podcast Transcript:

Kiva Slade 0:01

Welcome to Collab with Kiva, where we let our inner nerd geek out on all the non sexy parts of your business. I'm talking data and operations, neither as flashy or glamorous, but both are foundational to your business growth. I'm your host, Kiva Slade, your strategy and analytics guide here to break down what feels complicated. So it is understandable and executional. Let's dive in. Hello, and welcome to another episode of Collab with Kiva. We are in part two of our five part summer series from heatwave to headway, last week was all about getting it out. That's right, massive brain dump to get all of those ideas out of your head to gain clarity, to start to move yourself forward, in finished drawing for the rest of the year.

Kiva Slade 0:57

So today, part two is all about planning it out. It's not enough for you to dump it all out of your head, and then just leave it there. You want to start the process of planning it, in other words, strategizing, how are you going to move forward? What is the best path, in some cases paths forward, because there might be more than one initiative that you are looking to accomplish? And there might be some different paths that you need to take to accomplish all that you're looking for. But I think what's also important is understanding that, what can be combined now that you've taken everything out of your head, what can you put together? Where can effort be maximized? Where can you build on momentum of the things that you are going to be working on. For example, recently, I had a mid year planning session with a client. And we just laid out all of the things that we had on the plate, have had on the plate have put on other plates, smaller plates, bigger plates, and really just started to organize them and said, Okay, these things are actually connected. There's, you know, definitely some parts of this thing that's connected to this that's connected to that. The goal was though, if we could make progress on this part of it, we could definitely see where we could also make progress on other things that were attached.

Kiva Slade 2:19

So think about spaghetti, you're pulling up that one pasta noodle, you're gonna pull some other ones with it. And that's what happens when you start to plan it out, start putting things together where you can look to capitalize on your actions, as well as your efforts. But I also want you to estimate, in many cases, what is the level of effort that's going to be involved for whatever it is that you're trying to do? How much time is it going to take you to complete? And I know some of you are a bit. What's the right word here? optimistic? Yeah, well use that when you're thinking that you're going to accomplish these gazillion things in this small period of time. Let's be realistic. We are in the month of August, when we look ahead, we have September, October, November, December, four months to close out the year. We're not even going to count August, because we're almost halfway through when this drops. So with that being the case, I want you to be realistic, not only with yourself, but with your list in saying how much can I actually accomplish? I'm not against setting big, hairy, audacious goals. No.

Kiva Slade 3:33

But I also want you to have that realism so that you have checks and balance and you're not feeling utterly defeated come December because hey, you didn't get done with all of those massive things that you thought you were going to achieve. So break it down for yourself into like 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 120 days. Okay, if that's too much, just focus on the 60 and the 120. And figure out like, what, again, we're playing a game of Tetris, what goes together? And then what can we put in the necessary buckets, that's going to move us towards our goals that we've set and close out 2023 strong. And remember, business environment, the landscape shifts, when we're talking about a plan. It's a plan but it is not something that we are holding on to white knuckled, never wanting to release. No, we are holding this plan loosely, because things happen. Life happens, stuff happens in business, the economy happens. There can be shifts and you as a small business owner, have such an advantage. You are that small Skippy boat that can just go ahead and maneuver and you're not the large cruise ship or battleship that has to go all the way out and start to make the turn and then finally be able to make that turn. You have nimbleness on your side. So I want you to be able to take advantage of that by not holding this plan too tightly. Trust me on this one.

Kiva Slade 5:06

So, shameless self promo, because hey, it's my podcast, you can always schedule a strategy intensive with me. And that way we can work on what planning is this whole thing out, and recently finished up one of those. And the client has been raving and emails like, oh my gosh, this is so helpful. I've been able to get so much clarity and this is how I'm moving forward. And I love hearing that. So again, we're keeping these episodes short and to the point, because it's a heatwave, and we're trying to make headway. So you've already gotten it all out. I want you now to plan it out, put like things together, find areas where you can build on momentum, and effort. You got this and I want to hear all about it. See you next time. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Collab with Kiva. I'm wildly cheering you on as you go forth and execute data and operational efficiencies in your business. If you need additional support, connect with me via my website, the516collaborative.com your reviews on Apple are appreciated. See you next week.

Meet Kiva Slade - the Founder and CEO of The 516 Collaborative. With a unique background in high-power politics on Capitol Hill and sixteen years as a homeschooling mama, Kiva found her calling in the online business world as a trusted guide for entrepreneurs looking to build the business of their dreams.

Kiva's work began behind the scenes, orchestrating the back end of businesses and managing teams. But her inner data diva couldn't help but notice that small businesses needed help harnessing the power of data for growth. So she and her team set out to uncover and tidy up the data required to enable clients to grow their businesses confidently and easily.