Start at the End: How Companies Can Grow Bigger and Faster by Reversing Their Business Plan

Chapter 3

Goals and Milestones

“A vision without a plan is just a dream. A plan without a vision is just drudgery. But a vision with a plan can change the world.”

—Old Proverb

When you’ve decided on a long-term vision, you must identify the best ways to achieve it. One part of this is to pursue the right opportunities. The other part is to reverse engineer your vision and break it into smaller parts.

Big goals, like your endgame vision, are much more achievable when you set milestones and smaller goals. For example, if your goal is to lose 26 pounds this year, your chances of success will be much higher if you also set milestones or smaller goals of losing half a pound each week.

In your business you need to do the same. Specifically, to achieve the success you desire, you must start at the end (your desired exit vision) and work backward. Specifically, you will break down your exit vision into smaller periodic visions or goals. You will then document those goals in a business plan, which is a detailed road map for achieving your objectives.

How to Reverse Engineer Your End Vision

Reverse engineering is the process of discovering how to build something that already exists. For a product, reverse engineering typically entails taking the product apart and analyzing it to determine the best way to recreate it. For your business, reverse engineering is the process of discovering the precise steps you need to take and the goals you need to achieve to realize your business’ end vision. ...