How to do a 'set/reset' for your business.

How can you do a simple business 'Set/Reset'? 🤔

Today is both the start of Q2 for 2025 📈 and April Fools' Day 😂 (although with the news the way it is, the April Fools' headlines are getting harder to spot).

The question to ask as we go into Q2 is not whether you'll get through the quarter, but what you want to get from it? Where do you want to be at the start of Q3?

You have to be aware of where you're going to make sense of how and what you can control. 🧭

There's a lot of negative narrative in the business press at the moment and it's easy to fall prey to it, unless you've got a clear view on what you can focus on instead.

Too many people fall into the trap of focusing externally, instead of adopting an internal locus on control. This is easily picked up in the language people use and their outlook. The former think things mainly happen to them and they have little control over that, and the latter make things happen for themselves. They steer a different course. ⛵

The burning question then is - Are you clear about what you want to get from the next 12 weeks? ⏳📊

The answer we come across far too often is "not really". Alongside comments like "We've a rough idea....; we don't know what the markets will do....; we're waiting to see what the budget says....; the impact of tariffs....; it's outside of our control we just respond...." 🤞🍀

That's energy sapping, not much fun, and feels very uninspiring.

We've built a really simple framework for doing a quick 'set/reset' with our clients. 📈

These are short interventions, where we get a snapshot of where they are now (current state) and where they'd like to be 3 months from now (desired future state). 🏅 (See the model below).

We add a lot more detail to help reflect on the current state and how clients feel about it. This normally highlights the lack of suitable and varied metrics that help to reveal what’s going on. You need to know much more than just turnover and profit.

It's much easier to fully commit yourself when you know where you're going, how you think you'll get there, and what you'll get from being there. 😃

As the diagram below shows that doesn't mean it's all plain sailing. There may well be challenges, but it's much easier to cope with them if you're clear on the journey, and if you've someone to guide you. Ask anyone who drives the M25 regularly detours or unexpected incidents occur. It’s how we prepare for and react to these that makes the difference.

We work alongside clients in 3 month sprints that build the vision for their Desired Future State and the processes and systems to support their journey. 🤝 📈 We hold them accountable and share others models and tools that help to build their skills and knowledge. Ultimately, these lay a solid foundation for a 2-3 year plan to start to emerge focusing on the Vision, Implementation and Priorities as below. This can then help to launch or relaunch the business and enhance its profitability. 🚀

One page business plan

Let us help you get the most out of your next quarter and/or reset your business planning. Get in touch to see how we can support you.

Shared Prosperity Fund Management Support Session Announcement

Save the Date - 8th February 2023.

If you’re a Greater Manchester SME, you may be able to access this funded support session run by Know and Do. Connected to the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund this support is aimed at small businesses.

Know and Do are proud to support the work of the Business Growth Hub in Greater Manchester. We have worked with the BGH as a provider across a range of services to SMEs from coaching, consultancy, training around sales and marketing, and mentoring. We’ve delivered practical support to hundreds of SMEs that has helped them to understand and apply new knowledge to make a positive impact for them and their businesses.

As European Funds come to an end, the BGH with GMCA is trialling a new shared prosperity fund that is offering additional support for managers and leaders in what are undoubtedly turbulent times for many. The first pilot phase will offer 120 places of 3 hours of fully funded support for business owners and leaders to explore how they are managing their response to the current cost of living crisis, rising business costs on many levels, and planning for growth.

Know and Do are offering a new group session, working with 8-12 businesses to understand, support, learn, and connect the businesses to help them confidently navigate this turbulent business landscape in 2023. The session will run on the 8th of February from 9.30am-12.30pm.

Places are going fast as businesses sign up to discuss, reflect, network, and plan new approaches to their work. We’d love to have you join us for this new event. Applying is simple and Know and Do can do the 1-page application for you. To secure your spot now, get in touch with us as soon as possible.

To apply, get in touch with Andrew via andrew@knowanddo.com or call the office on 0161 2804567.

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What Do You Stand For?

I have had the privilege throughout this year of working with many people starting up a new business. Even in the midst of a pandemic and all the fearful headlines, opportunities for business exist; especially new ones.

Anyone starting a company today fully understands that almost no scenario is now impossible to imagine. Very, very few would have ever predicted national lock downs happening so fast and being so extensive back in 2019. Now they have happened leaders are wiser to the risk, impact and how to cope.

One thing I stress to all new business owners is the importance of clarifying what your company stands for, and that clarity comes in the form of answering two questions:

1. What is the purpose of your business? Describe what you want it to achieve and why.

2. What are the principles of your business? List the key principles (or values / standards) your business will work to and why.

One owner shared that it was simple to answer these questions. Number 1’s answer was to make money, number 2’s answer was to make money effectively and efficiently. It was helpful that he was so clear, however if that is the core to your culture I explained they should not be surprised that if there are times when the money does not appear so easily, their people will quickly desert the business. Money is used a motivator for work but not to create the culture a staff team need to face challenges such as infusing loyalty, encouraging sharing, going the extra mile or enabling co-operation.

Another new owner recently offered the phrase ‘we want to make beautiful things’ as her answer and this quickly led, after a few coaching questions from me, to understanding what was behind this aspiration. They mapped the purpose and the values of the new business and now they use their answers as a guide for the big and the mundane decisions: to assess the quality of their products; to choose suppliers; to create the look and feel of their brand; to form a marketing plan; to style their website; and so on. A lot of thought lay behind the short statement and they now have a culture they are demonstrating that as others join will be followed. This person wants their business to make a profit too but their purpose and values will help hold a team together in good times and tough.

The start up business owner has energy and time to consider these questions. What they state at the conceptual stage becomes the reality as the busy demands of the new company appear and opportunities or challenges must be assessed.

If you are a leader of an existing business you will undoubtedly be, right now, very busy but you will still do well to pause and ponder these two key questions. If you have no space in your day you might have to think about the questions on a walk or when you exercise, maybe as you lay in bed or while you are eating your food; but you can ponder these questions*.

When you’ve started the answers you can then find out who in your business agrees with you, or maybe is even aware of the existence of such statements. It is then that we find the most value appears, as behaviours, attitudes and plans can be shaped by a group working towards a common goal and with agreed standards.

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*We recommend a way to take notes for such times, perhaps keeping a small notebook to hand or app on your smart phone, ready to record the clear thoughts you have in these quieter moments.