Business
Planning
Your Business Plan is your ‘how to guide’ to achieve what you want in your life. In fact, it could be the most fundamental document in your entire business.
At Ake we firmly believe that your business should be there to serve you - not the other way around. Our Business Planning sessions are built around your goals; whether it’s the ability to step off the tools, to achieve a certain lifestyle, or to build a secure financial future for the next generation.
A Business Plan with Ake provides a clear outline of what you need to do to achieve what you want from your business. It will provide focus, help you make decisions, and define strategies and actions to achieve your goals.
What’s involved:
Our half-day Business Planning Workshop will require you to take time out from your day-to-day activities to focus on your business. Together we’ll review your past performance and clarify your future direction. You’ll set solid and realistic business goals and define strategies for achieving them.
At the end of the session, your one-page Business Plan will act as a guide for you (and your team) to successfully implement your desired changes and ensure your business is on course for success.
When should I do Business Planning?
If you don’t have one, any time is a good time to develop a Business Plan. However it's particularly relevant at the start of a new financial year. Other critical times to develop a Business Plan are when you're starting a new venture or contemplating a major change in your existing business. You'll also require a Business Plan to support any financial applications.
What you’ll walk away with
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A Fresh Perspective
We'll look at your business through an objective lens, questioning assumptions and challenging the status quo. Together, we'll uncover your best opportunities for real growth and explore solutions to your challenges.
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Clarity & Direction
With a set direction and goals, you’ll be able to prioritise your resources and time to the areas that will move the needle most for your business, and make better decisions.
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Real Results
Meaningful progress comes from consistently working towards your goals. Your Business Plan will hold you accountable with clear targets and actions to be achieved by certain dates.
What clients are saying about our Business Planning Workshops
“What I liked most about the session was the down-to-earth nature of the delivery. I felt comfortable throughout, and it really felt like the team at Ake had spent time analysing our business beforehand.
They brought some great thoughts to the session that were directly attributable to our business.
For me, the key benefits were [gaining] an improved understanding of our business capabilities, greater confidence in decision making, and creating simple metrics to monitor progress.
I would absolutely recommend this. As a small business Director, it’s easy to be pulled in multiple directions and time can become harder to manage. Business Planning allows you to track performance while freeing up time to focus on running the business day to day. Making decisions confidently is much easier when your business plan is current and well considered.
- Matt Parkinson, Wai Comply
A dream written down becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. And a plan backed by action makes it reality.”
- Greg S Reid.
The Business Planning
process
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Before the workshop, we'll provide you with pre-work - a series of in-depth questions to answer about your business. It’s vital that you put time and effort into this step. This helps us to make sure our time together is as efficient and effective as possible. It will help identify any issues that need to be discussed, and enable us to prepare any information required before getting started.
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During the Business Planning session we will:
Review and set business direction
Align goals amongst the directors or owners
Identify critical challenges and opportunities in your business and the actions required to resolve or maximise them
Identify and prioritise your key business goals - dividing these into short and long term, then:
Create strategies to achieve your goals
Identify what support and resources you will need to achieve your goals
Set timeframes for achieving your goals
Discuss how these goals align with your personal goals and situation
Establish a 90-Day Action Plan to address immediate critical issues
Identify Gross Revenue Targets and Key Performance Indicators
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At the end of the session you will have a clear and concise Business Plan to guide your actions and decisions. It will:
Provide a tool to communicate your business goals and vision with your team
Help you make decisions, avoid procrastination and stay on target
Provide a template to review actual performance against targets
Provide a platform to develop Financial Forecasts
Can be used as a basis to set team members’ individual goals and targets
Provide a robust accountability system
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To achieve real momentum and results, we highly recommend adding Group Business Coaching or 1:1 Business Coaching service. Working with a senior Ake team member on a regular basis, you’ll gain an invaluable sounding board to talk through decisions, overcome challenges and seize the right opportunities, and keep you on track towards your goals
What our clients say
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"We couldn’t be more grateful for the expertise and support we have received from Matt, Maia and the team at Ake while Business Planning.
They took time to understand the needs of our Roofing business and helped us develop a strategy that is realistic and growth focused, and tailored to our needs. If you’re looking for accountants who genuinely care and bring both skill and dedication to the table, we highly recommend the team at Ake. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them!
-Shimon Dickey, Roof Works Whakatāne
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"The Annual Business Planning and Cashflow Forecasting with Matt at Ake Accounting was extremely valuable.
In a nutshell it takes the dreams and visions I have for business and puts them into a measurable and accountable format that I use through the year to stay on target to achieve them. Matt is passionate about what he does and enjoys supporting us to be succesfull in what we're passionate about. The whole process is a relaxed atmosphere that I find enjoyable. Looking forward to smashing this years KPI's!"
- Aroha Wikotu, Aroha Ra
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"We came into our Business Planning session not knowing what to expect or what the outcome might be. We left feeling more secure with ourselves personally and as a business.
The session gave us valuable clarity on our business goals, a new vision for our company, and provided ideas on how to better structure our business, our work-family ratio, and our team. What we liked most was that it helped us remember our “why” - why we do this. Thank you Ake and Tania-Rose.”
- Jasmin & Patea, Maniapoto Fencing Limited
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"It was a really good session. We were wanting clarity around our numbers, and strategies to reach our desired cashflow.
The most valuable part for me was planning specific goals that align with our revenue expectations. The session gives you clarity, a direction for your business, and strategies for how to get the results you want. We came away seeing there is positive potential for growth.
It helped us make sense of the complex, with more minds on the task. It’s about setting time aside to invest in the future of your business.”
- Jacob McGregor and Tom Devine, Awe Aotearoa Limited
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"Time set aside to plan is key, just time to stop and work on the business.
The biggest benefit of Business Planning is having a plan on paper, that’s dated and agreed. It gives you a starting point for progress and resolution.”
- Jono Whitham, Flow Plumbing
"The most value for me came from getting a real-time idea of our numbers, especially seeing the impact our margin can have.
The session made sure Jono and I were aligned, and helped us set a high but achievable goal for our business.”
- Scott May, Flow Plumbing
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"I would definitely recommend a Business Planning session.
Otherwise, how do you know a business is going well unless you see it, note it, and record it?
For me, the key benefits we came away with were clear actions, accountability, and knowledge of our progression. We now have a clear plan of action to move forward as one mind.”
- Mary Proffit, Hapimana Trust
Ready to get started? Book your discovery call
Let’s get started with a no-obligation consultation with our team. We’ll talk through your situation to send you a personalised Business Planning Proposal.
Ake Business Advisory
Taking your business further.
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Cashflow Management
Cashflow planning is critical to the survival and growth of any business. We work with you to help you set, regularly monitor and manage financial targets to improve your business performance. You’ll be able to respond to changes, and have control over your cashflow.
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Business Coaching
A regular outside view from someone that knows you and your business can be invaluable. We'll provide advice, help you overcome challenges, support you to make decisions, and keep you on track towards your goals.