Published on September 24, 2024

After defining your marketing strategy, the next step in the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is creating your 3-Year Picture. This helps you take your long-term vision and break it down into a more manageable, concrete plan. By visualizing where your business will be in three years, you create a clear roadmap that guides your team and keeps everyone aligned.

In this post, we’ll explore how to create your 3-Year Picture and why it’s crucial for turning your big goals into actionable plans.

Why Your 3-Year Picture Matters

Your 3-Year Picture is where your long-term vision starts becoming more tangible. It’s close enough that you can see the finish line, but far enough away to set ambitious goals. This picture helps you:

• Create alignment: When your team knows exactly where the business should be in three years, it aligns everyone’s efforts.
• Measure progress: The 3-Year Picture serves as a benchmark to track how far you’ve come and what still needs to be accomplished.
• Guide decision-making: Knowing what you want to achieve in three years helps you prioritize projects and initiatives that contribute to long-term success.

How to Create Your 3-Year Picture

Creating your 3-Year Picture involves answering key questions about what your business will look like three years from now. EOS helps you define this vision in clear, measurable terms.

Here are the main components to include:

1. Revenue and Profit Goals: What financial targets will you hit in three years? Be specific with revenue, profit margins, and any other key financial indicators.
2. Company Size: How many employees will you have? Will you expand to new locations, add new products or services, or enter new markets?
3. Major Milestones: What significant achievements will you accomplish in the next three years? These could include launching new products, acquiring competitors, or hitting a customer acquisition target.
4. Cultural Shifts: What kind of workplace culture do you want to foster by then? How will you ensure your core values remain strong as you grow?

By painting a detailed picture of where your business will be in three years, you give your team a clear destination and create the motivation to stay on course.

Communicating the 3-Year Picture

Once your 3-Year Picture is defined, it’s essential to communicate it regularly to your team. EOS encourages leaders to share the vision often, ensuring that everyone is aligned and working toward the same future. Revisit the 3-Year Picture during quarterly meetings to measure progress and keep it top of mind.

Conclusion

Creating a 3-Year Picture helps your business turn vision into reality. By defining clear, measurable goals, you guide your team with purpose and clarity. In our next post, we’ll explore the 1-Year Plan, which breaks down the 3-Year Picture into short-term, actionable goals that ensure steady progress toward success.