Your Small Business Needs a Roadmap

One of the things I love most about the work I do is meeting with our clients and designing an advertising and marketing roadmap or blueprint. This typically starts with a creative session on how to use the tools we offer on the EverythingBrevard.com website and then ultimately leads to a full-on advertising and marketing strategy for their business.

This is my happy place! I love designing these roadmaps.

Entrepreneurship is difficult. Small-business owners are under pressure, and some handle it better than others since mindsets vary. Some panic because business is down, resources are limited, and fatigue is setting in. Others brainstorm and plan, update offerings, clean the store, stage product displays, evaluate processes and systems, and leverage what they have to get what they want or need. They are strategic with their time and resources.

If you are feeling stuck and need an infusion of creative energy, start by asking yourself these simple questions:

• What am I doing to market your business? Is it working? Do I need to make adjustments?
• Am I spending money in areas that are not benefiting the business?  
• Are there things in the business that need to be refreshed such as paint, menus, décor, floors, uniforms, signage, or even staff?
• Do I need to update my policies, procedures, website, brochures, or other collateral materials?  
• What is our story? Do you have any special accomplishments or milestones that warrant celebrating? Are you offering new products or services? Are you telling your story to the right audience?  

Asking yourself these questions can fuel creative thinking. Creative thinking has you looking at a problem or situation from a fresh perspective so that you can come up with new ideas.  And even more importantly, it can get you thinking ahead. Thinking ahead is the more logical, sequential approach that involves analyzing and evaluating, and is a more disciplined approach when looking at a situation. This process can move you from a reactive state to a proactive creative state.

It can still be a challenging exercise when you are deep working in the day-to-day operations of your business. Overwhelm and fatigue squash creativity. It’s essential to give yourself the opportunity to think freely and creatively about your business. Mentors, coaches, colleagues, marketers, and other entrepreneurs make great sounding boards.

Once you have developed a plan or roadmap, be sure to give yourself plenty of time for implementation. This is an ongoing process. I encourage you to pick a couple of items to act on — do not try and tackle everything at once. Strategically, work your way through the list and do not be afraid to ask for help.