You may disagree with me. And believe me, I went through the process myself of creating a few business plans. And there is tremendous value in sitting down and and laying it all out.
But the other day I was on the phone with someone about website design. I had an idea. And I liked the idea. And I was defending it. After all, I had a whole list of reasons why I should do it a certain way.
Then… it happened. I was given one… just one… very good reason not to. And when I weighed that against all of my reasons for doing it I relalized… that one very good reason not to was the deciding factor.
Think of it like this. You are going to… say… a store or a friend’s house for dinner. And you know you have a few ways you can go to get there. So you argue for the “back way” because you know that at this time of day, because of the traffic, or the sun glare, or the school buses, or whatever… the point is you have a whole list of really good – logical – reasons why going the “back way” or even the “front way” would be the best, safest, fastest way to go.
But all it takes is one really food reason not to… like say… a single sign… one that says, “Bridge Out.”
And you are sent on a detour.
I am an all-out proponent of a business strategy and an execution plan. Don’t get me wrong. I believe we should never stop thinking about our business and how we can execute, change, grow, and improve. However, the number one reason why I caution people from writing a business plan is…
It brings closure.
That’s right. I brings closure. You feel like you are done. Like the plan itself was the whole game.
And so it takes the excitement out of starting your own business as an expression of who you are and how you think your bring value and throws it into the box with all of the other business. Like cookie cutters.
And everyone who has used cookie cutters knows that while they all look perfect… you wind up wasting a lot of dough. (oh yes… the horrible pun was intended!)
If you have passion… go do something with it. If you talk about your business or write down the whole “story” then you feel like it has to go that way… and as soon as it doesn’t you get discouraged.
Have a checklist of things that must get done… but don’t write the whole story… you are meant to live it!
When I was getting my MBA and then also my MABC I had to write up plans for businesses I would start. I got so into the ideas and even thought, “I am going to do this after I am done with school!” But then, after I finished the plan I felt like, “Ehh… now I set myself up to be disappointed.”
Live the plan… write it as you go. Expect that things will take an unexpected turn… that way when they do… you are encouraged rather than discouraged.
Review where you are verses where you were and let that tell you where you should go.
Use those business plans to help you know what you should be looking at. Or download the Plan of Action Template and use it as a checklist or guide to what you need to keep you eyes out for. But don’t lay out all of the answers yet. Because when you do that, you run the risk of feeling like your done. And you loose your motivation.
And… you put blinders on because you don’t want to be wrong about what you thought would happen. It is just human nature.
I know you think you will be the one who doesn’t fall into the trap. I was. But I did. And I don’t want you to.
Once the business is up and running, you can write a busines evaluation document (yeah, that’s a business plan) to see where you are against where you would like to be and then choose areas to focus on and fund.
Business plans are a way of understanding your business… but remember the plan doesn’t run your business… you do.
Do you have any thoughts or experiences that you would like to share around this? Please comment below.