Every type of business needs a basic business plan. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Don’t think you can skip this step because you offer a service instead of a physical product either.
Every business benefits from a basic business plan.
Step 1: Focus on your why
When you create a business plan you need to focus on the reasons you are in business:
Who do you want to serve?
What do you want to provide?
When do you want to start?
Where will you set up shop?
Why do you want to start such an endeavor?
How will you meld all these things together to create a prosperous business?
These are the primary reasons why you’re going into business, and they should always be at the forefront of your mind when making decisions.
Something else to focus on is your ultimate dream.
How much money do you want to make over the next 5 years?
Do you want to sell multiple products or have several locations?
What do you see your life looking like in 5 years? Do you want to be virtual? No weekends?
Think like an entrepreneur. Everyone’s big dream will be different, but you should write it
down as part of the plan. I use the longhand approach first so I can dump everything out of my brain. You think differently when you write with a pen.
Step 2: Create your plan
Think of your business plan as a mountain. Your mission statement is at the base of the
mountain while your ultimate dream is at the peak. Everything in between is what you need to plan, and these steps should also be incorporated into a business plan. Here are a few more questions to get clear on:
What products or service do you want to create/provide?
How often do you want to produce a product or work?
How can you implement some passive income or other streams of income into your
business?
Are there any speaking engagements or online summit opportunities that will expand
your reach and your followers?
What can you add to your sales funnel for those not yet ready to commit to your
primary product/service?
Step 3: Action Steps
This is where your planning steps are broken down into smaller, actionable steps. Instead of
just saying I want to write a book, break the process down further. How much time can you
dedicate each day to writing? Do you want to self-publish or find a publisher? You’ll need to
hire an editor and someone to design the cover. These are actionable steps that can easily be crossed off your to do list once completed.
Don’t be thrown off here. You don’t need to plan 5 years’ worth of action steps at one time.
The idea is to plan one year at a time, keeping your focus in mind, so that the action steps
become a pathway to your professional development, personal growth, or a blueprint to your ultimate dream. You will find when you break things down into small attainable steps you get momentum to where you are going faster.
If this seems like a daunting task, contact me to set up a business strategy session at
camilleLmiller.com. We will eliminate those limiting beliefs that are holding you back and create action steps for breaking down your tasks for more effective productivity as well as how to take ACTION, which is imperative to reach any goal.
Hope this helps!