Читать книгу Business Plans For Dummies - Paul Tiffany - Страница 11

IN THIS CHAPTER

Getting your planning resources together

Figuring out who needs to work on the plan

Laying down some planning ground rules

Checking out what the written plan looks like

Planning is serious business. For many companies, a solid business plan is the difference between success and failure. Many people going into business for the first time want to rush right in, create a website or hang up a sign, and start making money — a natural response for anyone excited about a new business idea. But taking time up front to prepare can pay off in many ways down the line, especially when it comes to writing a business plan. And face it: After your company is up and running, you may not have all the time you need to devote to the major pieces of your plan. So, first lesson learned: A business plan is not an expense of either time or money; it’s a necessary investment for a profitable future!

But all that being said, we also want to make something else abundantly clear to you: We live in volatile times! In fact, it’s hard to find anything in the recent past of business and economic life that hasn’t been as disruptive as the present — a revolution in communications technology, globalization, a potentially “new world order” emerging, financial market gyrations, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, breakthroughs in neural science, environmental disasters, and on and on. So how can you plan when who knows what might come next?

Fair question. But before you get started on this admittedly lengthy journey, we want to let you in on a little secret: Planning is not about prediction. Nope. What it’s actually about is a rational process of understanding — your market, your customer, your competitors, your organization, and yourself. That is, serious planning forces you to consider exactly and precisely what’s going on out there today. Where you go after that all depends; some things do have a higher probability of occurring than others. But by knowing the realities of the present, you are going to be far better prepared to quickly pivot when those pesky unknowns pop up — and trust us, they will. They always do; that’s life.

So put aside any starry-eyed thoughts you might have about this book being your magical little crystal ball to gaze into the future. It isn’t. But it is your realistic guide to comprehensively analyze a potential business venture and undertake a deeply detailed review of what needs to be done to get that venture off the ground. And if something totally unexpected jumps up to bite you? By rigorously internalizing what we cover in this book, you’ll be far better prepared than anyone else to respond quickly and proactively to get back on the road to success. That, dear reader, is our solemn commitment to you. Now let’s buckle up and get started!