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Small Business Articles from Make-it-Fly®
 Lay
the Foundation First
and Then Write
Your Plan
By Victoria Munro
Printable version
“If you don’t
have a plan, how will you know when you get there?
The single greatest mistake most entrepreneurs
make is embarking on a business without a written
plan.”
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~ Jay Conrad Levinson and Seth Godin, The Guerilla
Marketing Handbook A written
plan, however simple, that realistically reflects your
business can be an amazingly effective tool. In a nutshell,
it’s your road map to
success.
Among other benefits, a business plan will help you:
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Keep
on track and prevent expensive, time-wasting detours |
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Convincingly
demonstrate the validity of your business for potential
investors |
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Rightly
prioritize your daily, monthly and annual goals |
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Wisely
allocate resources |
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More
easily identify and quickly resolve problems |
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Affirm
your sense of purpose |
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Give
meaning to immediate tasks, even the mundane little
chores |
Before writing your plan,
it’s vital to lay a solid foundation based
on understanding who you are and where you want to take
your life. At nine years old, I made a plan to own a
chain of flower shops—seemed like it would be
fun. I opened my first store at 17 and added another
when I was 19. I worked hard, and in my early 20’s
was well on the way to achieving my dream. Yet instead
of being elated, I was disappointed and frustrated.
This wasn’t what I wanted after all. I needed
to stop and reflect on where I really wanted to take
my life.
Since then, I’ve found it helpful to give careful
thought to the following foundations before
writing plans. Putting these
in place first will keep you focused, motivated and
moving towards a rewarding life you’ll enjoy.
Without these foundations in place, you can do “all
the right things,” but they probably won’t
work for you or bring you fulfillment over the long
haul.
Three Essentials: Foundations for
Your Plan
You Must Know:
1. What You Value Most
Clearly identifying and being true to your personal
values will energize and influence all areas of your
life and business. These values are the non-negotiables
that are truly important to you—the principles
you won’t compromise. Whether we are consciously
aware of them or not, we all have and live by personal
values. Our actions and the
way we live our lives demonstrate the values we hold
dear.
Click here to learn more.
2. Your Definition of Success
We use the word “success” frequently today,
often without giving much thought to what we really
mean. Each person’s understanding of success is
unique. How you personally define it will have a significant
impact on how you use your time, run your business and
live your life. Think about what success means to you?
Write down your definition. This may take a little soul-searching,
but it will prove invaluable. Remember, success isn’t
a destination.
Click here to learn more.
3. What Your “Big Picture”
Looks Like
Ask yourself what you want your life and your business
to look like in the future. Conceptualize it—see
it, feel it, smell it. Be specific. Where is the business
located? What sort of a building houses the business?
Are there employees? How many? What is the annual revenue?
Who are your biggest clients? What is your role in the
company? How are you spending your time? Envision everything,
down to the smallest details, exactly as you’d
like to see it.
Click here to learn more.
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“Personal
leadership is the process of keeping your vision
and values before you and aligning your life to
be congruent with them.” |
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| ~ Stephen Covey |
An effective business plan
is a dynamic document to be made use of often,
tweaked, updated and sometimes completely revised. It
should not be gathering dust on the shelf or
stashed away in the file cabinet.
Before you write your plan, I encourage you to base
it on these foundations.
Enjoy your journey!
(659 words)
© 2005-2008 Victoria Munro.
Click here
for printable version.
About the Author: Victoria Munro is
co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly®
LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for
small-business owners through creatively designed programs
and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different
businesses. To receive FREE business success articles
with tips to help you with your business, sign up for
their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,”
at: www.Make-it-Fly.com,
and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get
More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics
& Tips.
You’re welcome to “reprint”
this article in your ezine, print publication
or on your website, as long as it remains complete and
unaltered (including the “about the author”
info at the end). Please send a copy of your reprint
to info@make-it-fly.com.
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