We’ve been doing some initial strategic planning in the hallowed halls of AMI and one of the questions that keeps getting batted around is… what if we changed our own rules? It’s led to some very intriguing conversations and “what if” scenarios. And no doubt will continue to do so.
I think as business owners we sometimes forget that we actually get to make the rules. All too often, we let clients or employees or habit or convention or fear or complacency (or any combination of these) drive how we actually run our business. It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut or feel boundaries that may actually not exist.
What if you HAD to change the rules? What rules would you consider modifying, eliminating or strengthening?
Just as a mental exercise… imagine you had to radically change something in each of these areas:
- How you are staffed
- How do you mentor or groom your team?
- The types of clients you serve
- How/where you connect with your clients
- The work your agency produces
- Your pricing model
- Your biz dev model
- How you as an owner spend your days
- Your work schedule
- The metrics that define success
- How you manage your agency’s money
I’m not suggesting that you implement all of these radical ideas. But when you force yourself to come up with crazy things… some of the crazy might actually also be smart.
Another way to approach this… same list but answer this question for each area — what do I hate about how we…
Just some food for thought that might yield a big change or two.
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