Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
It is so much fun being an entrepreneur and there are so many things that are so exciting
about running your own business. But you've got to have a plan. I cant tell you how many
businesses have successful and smart owners and they come to me at three and five and
six years making a lot of money, making some money, making no money because they're imploding
because guess what? They dont have a plan. Can you imagine if you are a captain of a
ship and you said you were going to go to the Galapagos Islands and you decided that
you didnt need a map, you didnt need to know if you needed to scrape the barnacles off
the side of the boat or scrub the deck or what happens if a hurricane comes and you
go way off course? Were not really talking about a captain of a ship here. Were talking
about you and your business plan. I am telling you that you need a plan and your team needs
to know you're steering the ship. You are running your business. I have a client who
has a very successful business. She is smart. The business is growing. Its got three divisions.
She has no plan. She doesnt know which division to grow. She doesnt know how many employees
to hire. She doesnt know which corporate client opportunity to take. She doesnt know which
tradeshow to go to. She does not have a plan. That ’s a problem! Her business is not going
to get to the destination if she does not have a way to navigate and steer her team
to the other side. I also have another client who has a retail establishment and she wants
to go online. She thinks it is going to be a lot easier to go online. Weve talked about
the inventory; weve talked about how you're going to service that, how much money do you
need, who ’s going to manage all the shipping and the handling – all of those things.
She has no plan. You have to have a plan in order to get from point A to point B. when
you have a plan it clarifies your ideas and moves them into reality. It ’s transformative
because it gets put into black and white. You need to post it for yourself and your
team so they know your plan is in black and white. It clarifies and makes every decision
a wiser, better informed decision because it is moving along the plan. You're not distracted
by all the things that are coming at us as business owners. That ’s going to help you
be very successful. There are a lot of other things you need to do in terms of priorities
and goals but the number one thing you need to do is to write down a plan. Get your ideas
onto paper, make them a reality and steer your business towards success. That ’s going
to make your business strong and sustainable. That ’s your Backpocket Strategy for the
week. Make it a great week!