What do you really want to achieve with your (social) business? Can you visualize clearly what you want to do, be or create? Do you want to grow your business, but in line with what you can handle? Do you want to work ON the business instead of IN the business, but never have the luxury of time, or don’t really know where to start? Has something major changed in the market place or with funders, and it’s time to update what your business is about? What is your business model to make more money, to get more clients, to reach more people? Do you struggle with pulling all the different aspects of your business together to make it run easier?
Vague visions and unspecified goals are one of the main reasons why businesses fail. Getting clarity on what you want to achieve, identifying the most important goals and having a plan to consistently implement your ideas, will increase your chances of success dramatically. You will be able to communicate more effectively to get others on board, you will feel more focussed and in control of where you are going, and with a clear internal business plan created by your team you can prioritise your own workload and delegate easier to others.
Who is it for?
Akker & co works with new and existing creative and social entrepreneurs when they need strategic and practical advice, to clarify direction, to strategise your actions, and improve your skills in planning, strategy, decision making, marketing and sales. For example, you:
- Are in a transition period and want to create a new big picture vision of your enterprise or career that fits with your unique talents, values and will attract clients
- Need to reposition yourself, identify your niche to focus and thrive in the current economic climate
- Need an internal plan to clarify and prioritise all the different aspects of running your own business to make you more effective and less stressed
- Need an external business plan or develop a new business model or strategy to get finance or funding
- Need advice to grow your small business into something slightly bigger, through product development, exporting, licensing, working in partnership
- Need to drastically change your business model i.e. from a non profit to a social enterprise model.
What is it?
Business development and planning provide you with both the strategic and theoretical background as well as the practical implementation to make it really happen. I start with looking at the business’ needs, what currently is working and not working in the business, the context and wider influencers, and where you want to go. Depending on the requirements, size of the organisation and budget, we work with questionnaires, brainstorm meetings, management games, visualisations. This work results in vision statements, an internal business plan for 1 – 2 years or longer, business modeling, marketing review reports or detailed strategic reports with SWOT, competitor analysis and in depth action plans.
What next?
Contact me by phone or email with a short overview of your specific challenges and questions, which we will discuss further by phone or in a meeting. Together we will develop a clear understanding of your specific requirements and the best way to achieve that. As this is a tailor made proposals I am unable to provide you with costs at this stage.
In addition, further coaching can really help to make your plans reality as it offers regular executive support to overcome obstacles as well as accountability in achieving your goals.
