When all else fails, small business will survive. You’ve been the backbone of the US economy for decades and there’s no reason for that to change now. Take a few hours during to look at where your company has come from these last twelve months and to determine where you should go for the next twelve. Here are some questions to help speed you along.

1. Where are we now?

- What are we doing well and why?
- What aren’t we doing well and why?
- What services / products do we provide to whom and what are their expectations?
- How well are we doing meeting our past objectives? Why?
- How well are we meeting our customers needs? Why?
- What have our barriers to success been in the past?

2. Where do we want to be?

Confirm your small business direction, update and prioritize goals.

3. What do we have to do to get there?

Create specific objectives to reach your goals. Give them a deadline. Identify critical steps. Break each into bite-sized pieces to enable success — those things that must go right to achieve your objectives. Identify barriers that could hinder achievement of your objectives.

4. How do we monitor our progress?

Having an idea of where you want to go does not change anything. Executing those activities you identified, monitoring your progress and making adjustments along the way will get you there. Take action. Even if it’s just one small step per day.