Are You Planning To Fail?
Are You Planning To Fail?
Sounds quite ridiculous, right?
I just finished up a seminar on marketing. I asked how many people had a business plan...none!
How many people had a marketing plan....none!
Are they planning to fail? YES!
Some may say that because they did not make a "plan", that they are not planning to fail, but will anyway.
Some say, well as long as they get along and make enough money, all will be ok.
Would it, really? Do people love living in struggle mode?
Why Don't We Plan?
There are several reasons why people do not plan. Here are just a few. Feel free to leave some of your thoughts in the comment box!
1.) Lazy - this is an easy one. Just thought I'd get it out of the way!
2.) Fear of Failure - This is the most common reason (in the person's eyes anyway) I hear. If I do not plan, then I cannot say that I failed. If I fail, I can blame it on others or other circumstances. If it was written down, however, the person would have to become accountable. Nobody wants that!
3.) It hurts - Ouch! Most business owners are flying by the seat of their cash flow pants. Just scraping by. Living on credit. The whole lot!
When we plan, it forces us to actually see in black and white what we did or did not do in the past. Furthermore, we have to project that into the future.
4.) Fear of Success - Now this is an interesting topic. It is seldom discussed. What would happen to us if we actually succeeded? I know what happened to me. People viewed me in a different light. How dare he drive a mercedes. How dare he get two!! All of a sudden, you are projected to a different level by friends and family. Most people cannot handle that. Therefore, they would just rather stay stuck and dream about success. Making a plan only will bring them closer to success that they do not desire.
5.) Lack of Discipline - How boring is it to lay out your whole year and have to stick to it! This is the reason most people never lose weight or get the car they desire or never take the trip they want. If I would have a nickel for every person that said, "I'd like to get to Australia one day", I'd be richer than I already am!
Discipline is a skill that can be learned and is the subject of a whole other seminar!
I invite you to take the first poll:
Business Plan Poll
What Holds You Back From Planning?
Why Should We Plan?
Now that seems obvious, right? We all sit down and make our goals, etc and most people just go through the motions. In my networking group, we all had to create business plans. It was, to say the least, an interesting task.
I guarantee you that most will never be looked at again, much less implemented. We go through the exercise to appease our peers or our business coach, but way deep down, most people do not ever believe that they will succeed.
I hear this constant attitude on a daily basis of everybody is so busy and that things change too fast to write a proper plan. When you get right down to it, not much on a fundamental level changes and business is just an excuse used to make people feel sorry for you.
Why?
1.) To give us a solid purpose - Why do you get out of bed? Because your boss says so? What drives you to do what you do...the bills? We plan to fulfill our purpose in life, so we can fulfill it.
2.) To get us where we are going - Would you take a trip from NY to LA without planning? Even if you didn't care, you would still make a small plan. Which direction should we drive? How long will we drive each day, etc.
3.)So we do not repeat mistakes - This is a biggie. When you plan, you reflect on the past as to what worked and what did not. People who do not plan will surely keep repeating the same behavior, and thus, repeat the same mistakes. They may think they are going ok, but most business owners can get by for a small amount of time without a plan.
4.) To obtain clarity - Most business owners I speak to have no idea what their business is about, much less how much they make or lose. I have sat in front of countless business people doing their taxes and they cannot even tell me if they made or lost money. All they know is they just made the last month's bills..barely!
Planning forces you to look at how your business operates, what it is all about, and wether or not you are profitable.
Please take our next poll
Business Plan Poll
Do You Have A WRITTEN Business Pla?
Wrapping It Up
I can talk till I am blue in the face about the benefits. My purpose of this article is to get you to explore why you do or do not plan and also what you want to do about it.
Will you make a plan for the next year?
Will you take a good look at your business and plan to succeed?
If you have a plan, will you follow it? WIll you look at it consistently and develop it on a monthly basis?
The key is finding out why you do not plan. Explore those feelings and then learn to overcome those feelings and get on the track to success!
Do you require helpon a business plan?
You have two options:
1.) Download A Free Template for business. This is a great starting point for most small businesses and requires NO opt-in. Just CLICK HERE to go get it!
2.) Done For You Option - You can get a business plan tailored to your business in a general way by answering a few questions. This will give you a good starting point for your specific business and you can use it to build on! CLICK HERE to purchase your plan!
Either way you go - I say GO! Plan your future. We always get what we plan!
To your success
Steve