The number one reason businesses fail to grow is that they don’t plan.
This seems like a “no-brainer” but most small business owners don't take the time to create an annual business plan. They either don’t have time or don’t know where to start. We’re taking away both of those reasons with this course. You’ll learn the ins and outs of annual growth planning in this course that’s specifically designed for busy small business owners.
Course Learning Objectives
- Understand the typical lifecycle of a business and identify where growth commonly stalls
- Recognize the key barriers that prevent businesses from scaling and how to address them
- Apply the core fundamentals that support dynamic, sustainable growth
- Clarify your mission, vision, and core values so they guide decision-making and direction
- Build an annual business plan using a clear structure that supports execution and growth
Course Materials
Annual Business Planning Lesson 1: The Life Cycle of a Business
Annual Business Planning Lesson 2: Barriers to Growing Your Business
Growth doesn’t remove problems—it upgrades them. This video walks through the business life cycle (infancy, childhood, adolescence, prime) and the predictable challenges in each stage. It also sorts problems into normal, abnormal, and pathological so you can tell what’s expected versus what’s dangerous.
Most growth stalls at the same three choke points. You’ll cover the three biggest barriers: leadership, scalable infrastructure, and market dynamics. You'll also see what each one looks like in real life. We'll end with three fundamentals to keep your plan moving: strategy, people, and execution.
Annual Business Planning Lesson 3: Preparation for Planning and Growth
Annual Business Planning Lesson 4: 3 Components of an Annual Business Plan
Planning works better when your team knows what you stand for and where you’re headed. This session defines mission, values, and vision in practical terms and shows how each one supports clearer decisions. It also introduces a simple way to shape mission using the “hedgehog concept” questions.
A plan you won’t revisit is just paperwork. This video lays out a simple process: review mission/values/vision, do a SWOT, then write the plan. The plan itself is three pages (budget, marketing calendar, and operational improvement goals) plus a weekly or monthly review habit.