Inspirational!

I think Ross & I have just done the most inspiring thing ever – it’s a ‘vivid description’ and has really motivated us both. It’s something you have to do as an individual really, and it helps if all members of the team have something that’s similar!!

It’s a creative approach to setting your goals. We decided to split our goals into short term, medium term & long term. The short term is a list of specific objectives, which are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic & time-based) and will be achieved within one year after launch. The long term goal is basically our vision, where we want to get to, the ‘end-goal’ in five years’ time. So the medium term, in three years, had to be something we could imagine, but not too specific.

I’d read about this ‘vivid description’ in a book I’ve been given by Allan Wilson (Jen’s husband). It’s been written for Tenon, the accountancy firm, by Robert Craven, from Warwick Business School, which specialises in SMEs. The book is called ‘Kick-start your business – the fast track to a leaner, fitter organisation’ and it’s quite practical, not just loads of theory. Although I’ve seen many of the concepts before, it does no harm as a refresher, but there’s also lots of new ideas that I haven’t seen. Yet another book I’m reading now, and another page in my notebook with lots of scrawled ideas from it!

This vivid description seemed such a good idea, that Ross & I decided we had to do our’s this weekend, as we’re currently updating our business plan (for the third time!) to enter it into a competition which has been launched by Manchester Evening News and Venturepoint, a new organisation set up to support new companies in Manchester.

What a laugh! It’s really difficult to do, to rack your brains and imagine where you will be in 3 years’ time. You have to create a pictoral image in your mind, and then write it down on paper. What’s going on around you, describing the environment you are in, the sounds, the people who are there. Ross has written his at an award ceremony (I haven’t seen it yet, but I assume we’re winning something!), and mine is based at our 3 year anniversary party at Centerparcs, with all the families of our team members around us too. Crystallises everything and makes it seem attainable. It’s like everything going from being a bit misty, to being in technicolour. Because it’s a creative image, it stays in your mind in a different way to more formalized objectives. So now we’ve got a good mix of short term, medium term and long term goals.

We also wrote our mission statement. Thought I’d list it below so you can see what we are all about. Something else that just focuses you as a business.

““To be recognised as a valuable & necessary resource for parents/carers, to support those who are caring for young children, ensuring enjoyment for all , to be able to contribute practically and financially to the wider community and charity sector, and to provide tremendous job satisfaction and personal gratification for the whole team”

Hmmm – onwards & upwards then!

Kirsty