Planning for Success

With 2007 now firmly underway, Victoria Lochhead, Marketing Manager for Brakspear, tells us why all businesses should be planning for the year ahead.
 
"The buzz word for this year is surely going to be that of ‘PLANNING'. So many things are happening in our industry that the old adage "Fail to plan, plan to fail" must surely come in to it's own. So what are licensees planning for in 2007?

1. The Smoking Ban.

From 1^st July 2007, smoking in pubs and restaurants will be banned. The government have issued guidelines on what constitutes an outside area, but to plan and prepare this area will be key. Sourcing a quality outside solution will be vital, as will planning how to fit it out. Lights, heaters, seating, ashtrays, flooring etc will all be important.

2. Licencing

Now that the new licencing regime is firmly entrenched, it has become even more important to plan ahead. With the clever use of temporary event notices, you can stretch licencing hours when you need it most.

3. Business Building

It is always important to plan for your business but a rise in interest rates and a squeeze on disposable income brings further challenges to publicans, making it imperative to plan.

How to Plan

Planning is not easy when running a pub, as you usually need some peace and thinking time. If you have been following the "Pay off your mortgage in 2 years" programme on BBC2, what makes it so inspirational is that all the participants are working to the same clear objective. Not all of them make it, but those who are successful tend to be the ones who have developed a strong plan.

5 steps to planning:

1. Identify the issue. What problem are you trying to solve? Set yourself a clear objective that you can communicate to others and you can measure your success by.
2. Identify a range of solutions that might help you reach your objective.
3. Research these and pick which you think is most achievable and likely to work for you.
4. Plan the detail, cost, timing, to do lists.
5. Measure your success against your original objective.
 
If circumstances change, go back and review your plan, don't be afraid to change it.
 
A very profitable 2007 and happy planning!"

Victoria Lochhead
Brakspear

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