DO I REALLY NEED A PLAN?
Well, it depends on you. If rather than embarking on a journey were more on a mystery ride, where money, destination, and time were not important, it might not matter to you. However, if you are wanting your journey to be a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to reach that end destination successfully, having a plan in place matters very much. A plan will help you identify where you want to go and how you are going to get there.
BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE TIED TO ONE ROUTE!
Some people worry that having a plan in place will be too restricting. However plans aren't set in concrete, they’re living and dynamic documents that should adapt and develop as your business does.
Imagine, again, that we're on that journey. Along the route, our map tells us to cross a river. However, the bridge has washed away. The options are, either we plow on regardless of the fast flowing current or make a change in direction. What would you do?
Well, it's the same with your business. Just because your plan is telling you one thing, doesn't mean that you can't adapt and change it as time goes on. If you had a plan in place this time last year, it almost definitely wouldn't have featured Handmade @ Amazon, but you would have adjusted it to take advantage of this opportunity.
So, like a map, our plans will help us focus on our goals and reach our end destination, which in reality is likely to be the first of many end destinations as we keep smashing through our goals. Our plans will be adaptable and realistic and will develop as our businesses develop.
KEEP THE DESTINATION IN SIGHT.
There's another reason why planning is important, and that's if you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? In effect, if you haven't planned your destination, you will never have that sense of achievement when you get there. Think of the sense of achievement as you pass milestone after milestone, rather than wonder at what point of the journey you are on.
Within our businesses we’re likely to have a long-term goal, our final destination, with a series of smaller goals or milestones to help us get there. These smaller destinations are what help to keep us focused and on track.
A clear and effective plan will contain a set of goals and targets, which will help you on your business journey towards your clearly defined end destination.