AT THE START OF THE YEAR, I’M THE MAN WITH THE PLAN

The fact that we are in 2022 means that one of my favourite films, The Usual Suspects, is approaching its 27th birthday. Rippling with superb dialogue, sharply written characters and a fabulous plot twist, this thriller is an absolute treat.

Among those characters is Verbal Kint, labelled during the movie as “the man with the plan”. Of course – massive, massive spoiler alert – it turns out that Verbal is a master criminal and the plan he puts in place throughout the film is far more devious and brilliant than any of his co-conspirators could ever have imagined.

This is a rather esoteric way of saying there is a message in the fact that the guy who ends up on top as the screen fades to black in The Usual Suspects is the one who plans most meticulously.

I can’t claim this is one of the reasons I sit down at the start of every year and write a detailed plan for the next 12 months in the life of LeBoo Media as a copywriting and communications consultancy. But I do it anyway – because it is so surprising how valuable the exercise is.

I started writing an annual business plan at the beginning of 2019, the year in which – and this may be a total coincidence – my business really started to spread its wings.

I really shouldn’t be surprised, at my age, by the persuasive power of the written word. And yet, in the years since, I have been amazed at the value of simply committing to paper my aspirations for the next year. 

Prior to this, I would wander into a new year with vague notions of getting more clients on board and doing more business than in the previous 12 months.

Now I compile three detailed pages that outline how I want LeBoo Media to function and move forward in the days and weeks to come.

My business plan comprises the following sections:

-       The nature and function of the business

-       Types of target clients

-       A specific vision for the year ahead

-       Methods of attracting clients

-       My business values

-       Specific strategies for the year

-       Specific targets for the year

-       Specific customers I hope to work with

There are two further sections. The first is the wellbeing principles I want to follow. It still surprises me how much easier it is to work well when I feel physically right. That has not always been straightforward in a couple of years of pandemic-induced stress and anxiety – but it is well worth the effort.

The final section is entitled simply Gratitude. I will confess that when someone first tried to persuade me of the benefits of taking time to list the things in your life you are thankful for, I was more than a little sceptical. It sounded, frankly, rather woo-woo.

Then I tried it while I was driving to a networking meeting, and that cynicism evaporated. There is a perceptible lift to your spirits when you list all the things that make your life better.

So I’m the man with the plan. If you’d like to speak about writing down your plans for 2022, or indeed about your copywriting and communications requirements, please get in touch.