I woke up one morning last month with the overwhelming desire to take a vacation. I just needed to get away from it all, so I packed a bag, kissed the hubby and the dog goodbye and jumped in the car. Suddenly, I realized that I hadn’t made any plans for this little excursion. Actually, this dawned on me as I was packing. I didn’t know where I was headed, so it was hard to figure out what to pack. I just packed my favorite clothes – what I liked to wear when I was having fun. Now I was faced with my second decision – how to get wherever it was that I was going… I headed for the airport.
I have to admit I got some pretty strange looks when I asked the ticket agent (yes, I actually had to stand in line to buy a ticket) what flights they had leaving in the next couple of hours and where they were going. Needless to say, it took a long time and I got a lot of dirty looks from fellow travelers, before I had purchased a ticket and was on my way to Waco, Texas. Waco, Texas, you might ask? Why the heck would someone go there?!? Well, I had packed my favorite clothes, I had decided to fly and that I wanted to leave in the next few hours, so, in short, I had limited my choices. I could go to Waco or Anchorage and I didn’t have the clothes for Anchorage.
Okay, so at this point or more than likely by the end of the first paragraph, you were probably a little skeptical about my story. As you should be, who in their right mind would go on a vacation with no planning? I mean, really, we don’t get nearly enough time to enjoy ourselves, so why wouldn’t we take the time to research and plan for our enjoyment. Right?!?! Yet the truth is, a vast majority of business owners don’t take the time to research and plan for their business the way they do for their vacations. They put more planning effort into what they will do with one week of their time than they do with the remainder of the year. And it is the remainder of the year that feeds and clothes them and their families. Seems a little backwards, doesn’t it?
The moral of the story? Plan, plan, plan for your business future! Statistics show that companies that plan have a higher chance of success than those that don’t. Tune in next week for 6 simple steps to successful planning...
I agree, Jan. It's the proverbial "failing to plan may mean planning to fail". I liken it to goal-setting processes. Many business owners think it's too much work - defining, writing and monitoring a business plan or goal. I've written about goal setting and have written comprehensive business plans. Both are valuable tools for business owners and don't have to be that difficult. Understanding the process (of goal-setting or creating a business plan) will lessen the difficulty concerns. Getting professional help will simply make it all work better.
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