Your Business Plan: 3 Must Haves

Every business needs a plan, whether you sell a service or a physical product. It’s not a step we can skip over, no matter how much we may want to. I remember creating my first business plan and how daunting it felt for me. But it became a guiding tool for my business. In my opinion, there are 3 basic must-haves for creating this plan.

Must-Have #1: Focus

Focus is paramount. Who do you want to serve? What are you providing? When will you start? Will you work from an offsite location or work from home? How will everything fit together and be prosperous?

First, think about the main reason or reasons why you are planning to go into business. This should always be at the top of your mind when making decisions. For me, I knew I was starting my business so I could be at home with my children. So I knew it was important for me to build in flexibility to my workdays.

And don’t forget to focus on your dream! How much money do you want to make? Do you want to expand to multiple locations? Do you want to sell multiple products?

Every one of us has a different dream but you should write it down as part of your plan.

Must-Have #2: A Plan

You can think of your business plan as a mountain with your mission statement at the bottom and your dream at the top. All the things in between are what you need to plan and map out in your business plan.

Here is where you want to think about what products you want to create? How often do you want to create a new product? Will you bring passive or affiliate income into your business? How will you grow your business and expand your reach to bring in new clients? Will you provide additional coaching with your service? What can you add to your sales funnel? What systems will you use to stay organized?

Must-Have #3: Action Steps

Now that you have your plan, you need to figure out what steps to take to put that plan into action. This is where you take your goals and break them down into smaller, actionable steps. So if your goal is to write a book, you will want to break it down more. How much time does your schedule allow you to dedicate to writing each day? Do you want to self publish? What about an editor? Will you design your book cover or will you hire someone to do it? Each actionable step is something that can be crossed off the list. And believe me, crossing it off your list is going to feel so good!

Don’t get discouraged here. You don’t need to sit down and plan out 5 years’ worth of action steps. You want to keep your focus in mind and plan a year at a time. These action steps will be the blueprint to your dream.

Whether you are in the planning stage or you’ve been in business for a while, you’ll need systems and automations to stay organized. I’d love to have a chat to see how I can help you to determine what systems are the best fit for you and your business.