Start With A Plan
Over the Memorial Day weekend, we built a wooden play structure from a kit. It is very hard work and I learned a couple of important things:
1) Carpenters and landscapers probably don’t have very nice fingernails or soft hands.
2) You really need a plan.
Without the instruction manual, we would have had no chance. It got me to thinking about how important a business plan is to any and every business. More than a to do list, you can look ahead in the plans to see where you are going and make sure the tasks you perform today will not have to be torn apart and done again later. You can create goals about how much you need to complete on any day or any week or month. And when something comes up, a part that doesn’t seem to fit or be necessary, you can look ahead to see if it will matter later on – and it usually will.
Watch the Sloan brothers’ online seminar and read these articles on business planning
Then, let us know how developing a plan has changed your business and your life!
June 3rd, 2005 at 10:07 am
Hi Joan,
Congrats on getting your play structure built! I’m sure you have a new found love for those who build for a living.
About planning…I plan everything! I find that if I don’t, items just never get done. I believe a plan can be as simple as writing "to do" items for the day on a piece of paper and the goal is to get them all done. The challenge is being a work-from-home mom and still being able to get those items done. My list is never too long because it is always expanding as the day progresses but it has enough to keep me going. Planning ahead for the week or even the month is extremely effective for deadlines.
An overall business plan will allow your business to stay on track and expand in the direction you expect it to.
June 3rd, 2005 at 5:04 pm
To quote Rich Sloan, [quote]Right-on Sister!!![/quote]
June 4th, 2005 at 6:23 pm
Ok my brother has a general Contractors license, but no funding. Well I have a friend, that his father owns a electronics company, and is willing to offer his assistance,but what do I offer him as being part owner of the company,and what should I get for being the middle man.
June 5th, 2005 at 12:28 am
Yes, but how will I know if the plan is right? I need a plan to plan my planning!
June 6th, 2005 at 9:37 am
Craig, check out the links, and go buy yourself a copy of the Sloan Brothers book, STARTUPNATION: OPEN FOR BUSINESS. It is exactly what you say you need!
June 7th, 2005 at 7:46 am
regarding john escoto’s question:
john, love that you’re helping connect people for a business opportunity.
the first question you should ask yourself is whether you want to treat this as a ‘favor’ to friends or as a business opportunity!
you know ye olde saying, "what comes around goes around." this may ring true in a case like this where by doing good and helping people out, they will someday return the favor and you’ll benefit at that time.
sounds complicated to me if you’re thinking of taking a piece of revenue your brother would make working with the father of your friend…
did we get that right?!
October 8th, 2005 at 12:18 pm
I have a plan, but it’s lacking in one vey important step. I have left a job at a school, so all of my contacts are in the acedemic world and I need to market in the industrial world. I know that they will want what I offer, but I can’t seem to get in the door. What next?
November 14th, 2005 at 7:57 pm
What do you do if you do not like marketing and are very good at everythingelse?
November 15th, 2005 at 9:03 am
I guess it depends on what your business is, but here are a few thougts
You could:
-hire a marketing company or tap a marketing expert or mentor. You may want to look for local associations or contact your chamber of commerce for advice.
-read everything you can get your hands on about how people have marketed products similar to yours and see what worked for them. You can begin by reading all the great articles here on [link=http://www.startupnation.com/pages/topics/MarketingSales.asp' target='_blank']StartupNation.com[/link].
-change your perspective: especially if marketing is key to the success of your business. We sometimes dislike things we don’t understand or seem overwhelmingly difficult to grasp.