Planning backward from a desired goal is not only effective, but also the only way to be certain of the results.
Where do you see yourself in one year, three years and five years? What are you willing to do to expand your business, increase your profits and operate a larger company? Most owners would agree that a bigger business is better. However, few are willing to fill in the blanks in the planning process. I believe that is because they are approaching the planning task from the wrong perspective.
Admittedly, most of us are not proficient planners. We are more hands-on kind of people who want tangible results from a goal. But without a well-thought-out plan, we don't achieve those results. Part of that plan is reducing overall goals to specific steps - actions that help take us to our final objective.