Let me be honest here. I didn’t have a plan when I started working from home. I barely had more than a fleeting thought in my head, and I absolutely didn’t do anything as formal as an actual business plan. If I were going to start over from scratch, I probably still wouldn’t do a formal business plan. But I sure as heck would have more than a fleeting thought in my head, so I wouldn’t flounder around for as long as I did the first time around.

Planning is a good thing, but I don’t believe in letting planning get in the way of actually doing. It’s easy to plan and plan and plan and never actually do. On the flip side of that coin, for some people, jumping right in and acting without any kind of forethought is easy too.

Balance is a good thing to strive for, so make a plan and then act on that plan. Then, don’t be afraid to change the plan as time goes by. Things change. Lessons are learned. Plans aren’t perfect, but they are great for getting you focused and on track. You may need to shift the focus, or switch tracks occasionally, but that’s ok. Just rethink the plan and act accordingly.

I ran across a site that helps you create your plan and learn some startup business skills. It’s free, so it’s worth checking out. I’ve only skimmed the surface of it, but it looks like it may be useful. Whether you decide to do a formal business plan or not, it will probably give you some good ideas and things to think about. The main thing is to get your mind working, formulate some questions, and think about the answers. Formal or informal, a plan will get you moving.

(from Smash Mouth. "AllStar" Astro Lounge. Interscope Records, 1999.)

Posted on October 9th, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Business Development