(Time to read this Blog is about 4 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:

1. My Biz Quote of the week:
   Successful entrepreneurs have the unique ability to look in the mirror every morning and say, “Whatever the universe throws at me today, I’ll figure it out…and what I can’t figure out, I will survive!”
   …Donald Cooper.
    
2. Quick Biz Tip:
   What can you do to be a better employer?  Small stuff matters!  
    
   H-E-B Supermarkets in Texas distributes ‘Shift Schedules’ to their front-line Team members  two weeks ahead, so employees can plan their lives and personal commitments.
    
3. AI update. Driverless robotaxi company, Waymo, serves more than 500,000 passengers a week across 10 American cities. Artificial intelligence serves as the operational brain of Robotaxis, replacing human judgment with real-time neural networks and machine learning models.
    
4. Interesting insight on employee burnout.  According to a 2025 Study, 40% of Canadian workers say they feel burned out often, or always. The Study found that burnout is not only about workload.  It’s also about meaning. When the work no longer reflects who we are or what we value, exhaustion becomes disconnection.

Now, to this week’s important topic…

Now is the time to start planning for an extraordinary 2027:

It’s almost October and now is the time to start the planning, making the decisions and taking the action that will make 2027 your best year ever. Success is something we plan for…not something we hope for.  So, now’s the time to work ‘ON’ the business…not just ‘IN’ it.

Yes’ there’s lots of uncertainty in the market and the economy right now, but do you see yourself as the victim of circumstances, or the creator of circumstances?  It’s a mindset thing.

First thought:  Your focus should be in two separate areas:

1. Fixing what needs fixing.
    
2. Creating new opportunities for growth and profitability.

Second thought:  Your 4 most important jobs are:

1. Creating and effectively communicating clear and compelling value and experiences that ‘grab’ your target customers, clearly differentiate you from your competitors, make you ‘famous’…and grow your bottom line.
    
2. Creating world-class operating efficiency in every part of the business.
    
3. Creating a Team and culture that make a) and b)
    
4. Creating a clear, specific and measurable Vision for your business stating what you commit to become to be a profitable and sustainable market leader in 3 to 5 years.

Third thought:  Focus on ‘commitments’!  When you and your Team are planning for next year and beyond, don’t talk about ‘goals, targets, aims and objectives’.  These are weak and wishy-washy words that leave way too much ‘wiggle room’ to not perform. Talk about ‘commitments’.  ‘Commitments’ to your customers, your team, your bottom line, your community and the planet.  Nobody cares what you ‘aim’ to do…they want to know what you ‘commit’ to do.  When we change our language, we change our culture…and our results. 

The more clear and specific you get about your commitments, the better your results will be.  Here are 3 examples of what clear and specific commitments look like: 

1. We commit to increase sales by $800,000 in the next 12 months, while not increasing sales and marketing expenses by more than 4%.
2. We commit to reduce operating expenses by $50,000, in the next 6 months, without diminishing our customer service or employment experience.
3. We commit to improve delivery on ‘rush orders’ by 4 hours, within 3 months, without increasing our shipping expense by more than $12,000 a year.

For each commitment you make, determine what specific activities, actions, changes or initiatives will be done, by whom, by when, at what cost, with what results, measured how and rewarded how, to make that happen…and who will follow up, when.  The world is run by those who follow up.

Then, determine what resources and empowerment will be needed to get it done…on time and on budget.  

Fourth thought:  The best way to start this important process is to get real about which areas of your business or department need work.  You can’t start the journey to where you need to be if you’re not clear about where you are now. 

An effective and quick way to determine where you are now is to download and use my 1-page ‘Business Key Challenge Audit Sheet’ that takes just 4 minutes to complete.  It comes with complete instructions, and it’s E-fillable for your convenience.  To download it, just Click Here.  There is no charge.

1. Getting started: Sit down for a few hours with a group of the best minds and hearts in your business, or department and answer the following 10 questions: 
   1. What extraordinary bottom-line profit do we commit to generate in 2027?  Our profit is something we commit to and plan for…not something we just hope for.
       
   2. What’s our sales commitment for next year that’s required to deliver our profit commitment?  What are the 3 or 4 (or more) most important things we need to do to achieve that 2027 sales commitment?
       
   3. What are 3 things that we do that confuse or tick off our customers…and what will we commit to do to fix them so wonderfully that they actually become part of our competitive advantage?
       
   4. What are the 3 most important new systems, processes or technologies that we need to bring into the business in 2027?
       
   5. What are 3 or 4 important value, marketing or operational things that any of our competitors do better than us…and how will we improve and be the competitive leader in 2027?
       
   6. What are the 5 biggest expense items on which we can save some money or improve operational efficiency in 2027…and, specifically, how will we do that?
       
   7. What are 4 things we can do to become ‘greener’ in 2027…and beyond?
       
   8. What are 3 or 4 things we can do to improve internal communication and improve clarity about our commitments to customers, to each other and to our bottom line?
       
   9. What improvements in marketing, promotion and advertising will we commit to in 2027 to tell our story more effectively? There’s no point being the best if we’re also the best kept secret. How will we create more customer intimacy, be more responsive to and interactive with customers and prospects?  How can we use social media more effectively to achieve this? 
       
   10. We can’t grow the business without growing our people and strengthening our team. What new talent, skills or experience must be added to our team to compete successfully in 2027 and beyond?   What training, development or mentoring does each person on our team need to help them grow?   How do I commit to grow as a leader and manager to be more effective in 2027?

Note:  Add a few of your own key questions to the 10 listed above.  And, ask each team member to come up with at least one idea to grow or improve the business next year.  Give them a week to come up with their ideas and then schedule an ‘Idea Fest’.   You’ll be amazed at what they come up with.

Bonus Tip:  During the ‘Idea Fest’, no evaluation or criticism of the ideas presented is allowed.  That stifles creativity and kills participation. 

2. Create your 2027 Business Plan:  To download my Biz Tool #B-35, on how to create an effective Business Plan for your business, Click Here.
     
3. In Conclusion:  This may sound like a lot of work…but it’s what management is all about.  It’s why you get the big bucks!   Stop retreating to the familiar, doing the ‘easy day-to-day stuff’ and hoping for better results.  Remember, we get what we work for…not what we hope for.
     
4. If you’d like help with this important process of Planning your extraordinary future and your bottom line, I’m easy to find at donald@donaldcooper.com.

That’s it for this week…

Live brilliantly and be kind to each other!       

Donald Cooper