The most common problem I find small business owners facing is they don't have a crystal clear picture of their next 12-24 months and how to get there. They're usually caught up in the routine of overcoming the challenges of today, with no time or understanding of how to achieve the future possibilities they feel in their gut if they could only ...

Some owners (sadly, not most) may have a good handle on their Accounting and able to review an accurate Profit & Loss statement at the end of each month. History. While accurate accounting is absolutely essential to their success, at best it helps them make good use of the resources available to the business. What they really yearn for is ...

A crystal ball. Forecast. Forecasting is as invaluable to a business owner as a map is to a navigator. Just like you couldn't imagine a navigator without a sextant, no business owner can operate very long profitably without an accurate forecast. Your forecast lays out your path to profitability.

There are several areas you'll want to forecast, including:

• Finances
• Organization / Staffing
• Products / Services Development
• Business Development
• Operations
• Sales

If you want to know how you're doing, accounting will help. If you want to know how you'll likely do, then regular forecasting is for you.