The Best Business Plan

I bet fewer than half of us follow any sort of business plan. Rather than run our businesses, our businesses run us! Mornings begin the same. Years end the same (for the lucky ones).

At best, sales stagnate. For most, sales shrink. Profit margins decline because we remain hostages to an ancient commission structure. Clients wander away and book elsewhere because we are not consistently demonstrating our loyalty to them. Without a plan, we play “pin the tail on the donkey” in perpetuity. That’s dizzying and exhausting!

And so the expression goes, “people without goals are used by people with goal.” When we are without goals (and a plan to achieve them), we merely serve to help others (suppliers and consumers) climb their steps of higher success and happiness.

Why do so many of us stay glued in place? Why are we aggravated when “others” move our cheese (as they set new growth goals)? Why don’t we ever move the cheese—and set our own new growth goals?

I believe we should always be chasing two cheeses—theirs and ours. A key to a happy, fulfilled life is to help others to get what they want and you’ll get what you want (hence the two cheeses). Perhaps the better expression is: “People with goals are leveraged by people with goals.” In this paradigm, everybody wins!

I know that you’ve got goals (or you would never have opened this magazine). But what is the status of your plan to climb those steps to greater success and happiness?

Can I help? As long as you have the vision, I also know that you can accomplish enormously wonderful things in business and life. You’ve set your cheese and they’ve set theirs. So, what’s the plan?

The plan is to go easy on yourself. There’s no need to write a novel, hideaway in lockdown for a week, or earn an MBA first. You can get this plan done before lunch. Then go out for lunch and celebrate!

I use a series of 20 simple questions, or steps (plus five bonus questions for the over-achievers). You can answer them in short yet thoughtful form and you will have your business plan. How do I know it works? I have used my 20-step plan (really 25) time and time again and I have made my own dreams come true.

Most recently I created a company called ResortForaDay.com. It went swiftly from dream to paper to reality. In exactly five years it grew to dominate a niche shore excursion category (hotel day passes for cruisers). Today I have a powerful partner taking ResortForaDay.com to even higher levels day-to-day while I move the cheese yet again. I am writing ebooks, growing my motivational speaking portfolio, launching video training programs, and building another new business near and dear to my heart (HealthySexyAging.com).

If I at least inspire you to write a simple plan today then that means you’re ready to be unstuck. Excellent! As the great Zig Ziglar once said: “Success and happiness are not matters of chance but of choice.” Good choice! Here are two of the twenty-five questions I ask myself:

#5: Have I got the right resources? Would I run a marathon in flip-flops? Would I prepare quinoa without water? In order to achieve this goal, do I have the necessary resources at my fingertips? I know before I go. I define resources as hardware and software.

Hardware examples would be the computer and telephone. Software would be the people who can support me. I list the people in my pocket, in my corner, on my side who comprise my team. Think you work alone? Think again (even if you are a home-based business). What resources provided by your host agency, consortium, franchise network, partner, mentor, business coach, networking associations, etc., can you weave into your business plan? Please don’t set out on your path and fall into a progress-ending hole. Have identified resources in place to bridge these gaps!

#20: How will I earn extra money? I long ago stopped being a commission hostage. I give myself a raise (because they won’t). What products and services can you expertly add on to your services? I call it “super-sizing” because you super-size your clients’ vacation by helping them discover more options to pre-book, upgrade, save money and reduce stress. What’s the bonus for you? It helps you super-size your profit margin!

Perhaps you will inspire me to publish all 25 questions as my second ebook? That would be a great new goal (and plan) for me to achieve! Meanwhile, email me if you want some more of those questions!

Editor's note: A version of this column appeared in the February edition of Agent@Home Magazine.