Do you have a business plan?

Dear Members,

October and November are busy months for us at GHAR! As the largest local association in CT and the second largest local association in New England, we are organized like a business. That means we also plan like one. This is the time of year that we get budgets squared away, we approve plans for 2011, and we transition to 2011 leadership. We do all of this to help you be successful during the coming year.

The strategic or business plan is the ‘brain’ part of the Association. It’s our guide throughout the year so that we make sure our goals are met. Most experts agree that behind every successful business, there is a plan. I’ve been actively meeting with our the Leadership Team, our Board of Directors and committees to identify some of the best ways to help you to improve your business. Below are just a few ideas our leadership has brainstormed:

• Enhancing the value of your membership in GHAR by providing new products and services.
• Building relationships with other housing related organizations and associations
• Identifying areas of knowledge that are necessary for members to be successful as the marketplace evolves
• Formulating an awareness for the need for enhanced professionalism in the real estate profession
• Finding ways to build our influence throughout the Greater Hartford community

These are high level ideas and we are working hard to come up with creative ways to implement all of them. As a REALTOR® and small business owners, do you have a business plan for the upcoming year? Here's an interesting article that discusses this very topic: www.marketing-tools-for-real-estate.com/Realtor-Business-Plan.html. If you have a plan, tell us about it! We’d love to have you share with our readers and give us some feedback about what you do to make your business successful.

-Jeff Arakelian