This Isn't A Strategy
People joke about the “crystal ball” and “looking into the future” all the time, but you would be surprised how many business owners don’t have a plan, leave their success in the hands of chance and are simply “winging it”.
Most business owners don’t really think ahead as they are either wearing too many hats, too caught up in the basic day to day operations or they may be overwhelmed with the idea of planning for the next 30 days, let alone the next 365.
What does it mean to have a strategy?
Some people would argue that a business plan is their strategy. It’s true, the mission statement, the vison and the overall general direction of the company is an extremely important template to follow, but the business plan is useless without the financial strategy and overall company roadmap. Most don’t know what the end goal looks like, or what their destination should be. So, if they don’t know that, how can they prepare the company to reach that goal? The easiest way to explain this is through a basic metaphor. Most people can relate to the concept of an exercise regimen. Before you even start on a new weight training plan, you obviously have a set goal in mind. It could be abs of steel, or bigger biceps, or it could simply be to have better flexibility or more energy. Regardless of the end goal, we can all agree that you cannot start on your exercise plan without knowing what your end goal looks like. Knowing you want to grow bigger biceps will mean that you will have to focus on an exercise to achieve this result. It’s not that different from a business goal.
If your goal, is to grow your business by 30% in the next 12 months, have you thought about how many staff you require, what the supply chain looks like, if you need to increase your manufacturing output or move to a larger location? Almost all those decisions weigh heavily on a few things…planning, execution and CAPITAL. If you have not yet started to see your business as a growing entity, then you will need to reset your thinking. If you have not yet realized that you cannot grow your company without external sources of capital, you need to think again, as well. In a perfect scenario, growth utilizing cashflow from the business alone would be ideal, but that almost never is the case. Most companies aren’t sitting on mountains of cash. If they were, they likely already had a strong strategy and growth plan implemented, to get them to that strong cash position. See how that works?
So, if you want to grow your company and create a strategy, capital will be an integral part of that plan. You cannot scale up, unless you have the runway to handle the extra workload, staffing, fulfillment, delivery mechanisms or inventory.
This all makes sense, right? You drank the Kool-Aid? So, what next?
This is where The UnBankers come in and how we differentiate ourselves in the market. We take pride in having a deep knowledge of banking and the strong relationships we have cultivated over 20 years, with our funding partners. Our understanding doesn’t stop there, because we also know what it means to start, operate and create a profitable business. Our team are comprised of season business founders, finance professionals and experienced operators. We have been where business owners have been, in the trenches, and we have learned the best ways to avoid them, utilizing practical experience and accessing cost effective capital.
In the end, what really sets us apart is how we build working relationships with, and understanding of, our clients; not just finding them the money and moving on to the next “deal”.
“The Newsletter” from the Unbankers offers insight, clarity, observations and business wisdom. Join Anthony De Almeida, his team and invited guests as “The Newsletter” keeps you informed about money, business and the ride through it all.
By Anthony De Almeida