The following article is courtesy of Zoetis.
“If you don’t know where you are going as a business, you won’t know how to move forward,” said Nicolas Buttars, Zoetis PeopleFirst business solutions manager. “You are going to underachieve in the long term, and put your business or operation at risk of being surpassed by your competitors.”
A business plan serves as a necessary and cost-effective way to improve stability during volatile times, which can be frequent in the agricultural industry.
“A lot of businesses are in a transition point right now,” Buttars said. “They really haven’t considered a plan that looks three to five years out. They are focused on an annual operational plan versus long-term growth.”
Strategic Planning Services from PeopleFirst is available to help equine business owners, managers and veterinary clinics outline goals and achieve them.
People who enter this program are taking steps to become more profitable and more productive, Buttars said.
The strategic planning process focuses on everything from plan creation to implementation. Starting with an introduction to strategic planning, the curriculum continues with stages of activating the strategic plan specific to your business or veterinary practice. After completing this curriculum, owners of veterinary practices will walk away with a strategic intent statement, business objectives, core strategies, action plans and monitoring plans.
“The introduction gives a brief overview of what strategic planning is and why it is important,” Buttars said. “It gives participants a high-level vision and core values statement and asks them to think: ‘Where is it that we really want to be?’”
This process also helps assure owners of consistency throughout their practice. It will outline important objectives that help with widespread alignment of the business
“The biggest thing veterinary practice owners are going to gain from this is what strategic direction they want and what business objectives are important to them,” Buttars said. “They will gain alignment within their clinic so that everyone has the same understanding of where they are going and what they are doing in the future.”
To learn more about PeopleFirst Strategic Planning Services, contact your Zoetis representative today and visit growpeoplefirst.com.
Zoetis (zō-EH-tis) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on a 60-year history as the animal health business of Pfizer, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products and genetic tests and supported by a range of services. In 2012, the company generated annual revenues of $4.3 billion. With approximately 9,300 employees worldwide at the beginning of 2013, Zoetis has a local presence in approximately 70 countries, including 29 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries. Its products serve veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals in 120 countries. For more information on the company, visit www.zoetis.com.