Growth
How To Write A 1-Page Business Plan
30-page business plans get filed and forgotten. A focused 1-page plan, reviewed quarterly, is the single biggest growth lever for SMEs under £5m turnover.
The Steps
- 1
Write your one-line purpose
One sentence: who you serve, the problem you solve, the outcome you create. If you cannot say it in 12 words, you are not clear enough yet.
- 2
Define your ideal customer
Industry, size, location, role of decision maker, biggest pain point. Be specific enough that you could name 5 real prospects.
- 3
Set 3 annual targets
Revenue, profit, and one human metric (e.g. NPS, retention, headcount). No more than three.
- 4
List quarterly priorities
Maximum 4 per quarter. Each one owned by a named person with a deadline.
- 5
Identify your top 3 risks
What could derail the year? Cash, key person, supplier, regulation, competition. Mitigation for each.
- 6
Set the rhythm
Weekly: numbers review. Monthly: priorities review. Quarterly: plan reset. Annually: full strategy review.
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