Enterprise Nation

I've written about this before but I feel compelled to say it again. When it comes to business planning, I don't think there's anything better than stepping out of your home office and moving away from your usual surroundings. You could be pleasantly surprised with the result.

Trip to town

On Tuesday morning I left Shrewsbury on the 7.37am rail service bound for London. The journey is the first sense that you're distancing yourself from the day-to-day of the business as you literally feel the miles extending between you and the home office. It's a good feeling and a good start to get that sense of distance that will have you mentally prepared for a eureka moment!

My first meeting got me thinking about something that's been on my mind for a while. I then had an hour before the next meeting. It was in that hour that I came up with the answer to the question that's been bugging me. Which also got me thinking, why is it that business clarity is more likely to happen outside the home office? I think these factors play a part:

• your senses are stimulated in different ways
• you're being stimulated by the people you're meeting
• you literally step out of the detail of the business and can look at things in a more detached way ..possibly spotting things that you're too close to, for the rest of the week.

I'm not suggesting that everyone leave the home office; there's work to be done! And one of the other great things about going away is looking forward to coming home. What I am suggesting is an open-ness to the potential of business planning when you're away from the home office and maybe just including an hourly break in-between meetings so you can collect thoughts and make great plans for the future! - Emma Jones