There’s one thing
that is E-X-T-R-E-M-E-L-Y important regardless of the type of business you are
operating or the business you are planning to operate. It doesn’t matter if the business is an
online operation or you actually run a brick and mortar store. That very important thing is --- PLANNING!
Stop and think
about that for a moment. When you start
your business you need to do a lot of planning.
You actually need to write a business plan. According to many small business consultants,
as well as available government information for small businesses, this is
probably the ONE area where small
business operators fail. Or maybe second
if you count the financial aspect. Most
small businesses fail to consider a truly accurate amount of money they are
going to need to keep their business “in the black” until they are making the
needed income from sales. This too is
part of the needed planning that must take place.
However, let’s
get back to the business plan. What is
it? You might say it’s a compete lay-out
of how your business is getting started, where you are aiming for your business
to go, and how you plan on getting it there.
That, of course, is a very simple explanation of the business plan. The true completed business plan is much more
than that and it takes a lot of work and examination of your goals to get the
plan competed. It also is going to
depend on the SIZE of your business as to how involved and complicated
your plan becomes. This is usually a key
factor as to why most small business owners don’t prepare a plan. They’d rather be operating their business on
a day-to-day basis instead of doing all that “paperwork.” You would also need to periodically review
your business plan throughout the operating years and would have to adjust the
plan as you evaluate the requirements of your business goals.
Let me tell you a
story. Once not too long ago in a small
village in the western part of the country there lived two lumberjacks. Both of them prided themselves in being able
to cut down and log a tremendous amount of trees. They were both revered as master log
splitters and they both held to the claim that HE was the number one woodsman in the area.
Their boasting
went on for many seasons and finally all the people in the community decided
there should be held a master championship log splitting contest to once and
for all decide who was the true champion.
The day came and
both contestants approached the town’s mayor who would explain the rules of the
contest and act as judge in determining the winner. The rules were simple: The two men would compete back-to-back in
chopping their wood. Each would have
assistants placing the wood in its chopping position and stacking the logs
after they were split. The men could not
look at each other or their opponents’ pile of wood until the contest had
concluded. They would chop for four hours
after which the winner would be the man who had the larger pile of logs.
After receiving
the rules and positioning themselves to each others’ backs the signal was given
to start. The men could hear swing after
swing and the sound of the logs being split, so they were driven to expend
themselves in a greater effort to product a larger pile of logs. The main bragger of his cutting abilities
knew he would be able to defeat his opponent.
After a lengthy period of time had passed the main bragger heard his
opponent’s ax no longer chopping!
Had he given up
in defeat? Had he finally realized that
the main bragger was indeed the best woodsman in the town? He did not know, but the lack of the sound of
wood being chopped by his opponent made him exert himself even more to show all
the community the great pile of wood he would produce. Then he heard his opponent once again
chopping. Perhaps he only needed a brief
break to “catch his breath?” Regardless
this only drove the main bragger to work even harder.
As the hands of
the clock continued to tick by, the main bragger heard his opponent take yet
another break and later a third break was taken. Finally the mayor spoke up and the contest
was over. As the main bragger turned to
look at his opponent he was dumbfounded!
There stood his adversary beside a pile of logs that was TWICE the size of his own!
“How could this
be!” he exclaimed to his opponent. “I
heard you stop THREE times to take a break!”
“Yes, I took
three breaks,” explained his opponent. “But
during those breaks, I was sharpening my axe!”
So, what am I
trying to tell you? You can work
hard. And you can work long. But you need to plan out your work and periodically
pause to see if adjustments need to be made.
Then you will be successful in whatever you are doing!
PS
Recall in some of
my posts in the past I’ve commented that writing is one of the most effective
ways of providing income (in my opinion).
And here I’m recommending a super program called Kindle Autopilot. Use
this program to duplicate yourself and easily streamline 75% of your
productions process. Check it out!
THOUGHTFUL GEM
"From time to time pause to think ---
you may find it refreshing."
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