Ya Gotta Have a Plan

I recently heard about a remarkable woman who has built, and nearly lost, a great business. She launched it in the mid-nineties with little more than a dream and a few dollars in her "hobby" account, and quickly built it to almost 17 million dollars a year in sales. Unfortunately, her sales have dropped off by half of what they were in earlier years.

This terrible loss has nothing to do with the "dot-com" depression or the economy. It has everything to do with the fact that she never made the shift from doing it all herself to being the leader and manager of a thriving business.

Without a plan and an organizational chart, she continues to be the driving force behind every sale, every decision, and every innovation. She works horrendous hours, sometimes even packing and shipping orders herself on the weekends! Sometimes she micro-manages; at other times she pulls back so dramatically that instead of delegating, she abdicates. No wonder her employees are frustrated and her business is falling apart!

EVERY business needs an organizational chart! EVERY business, even a child's lemonade stand, needs to know who squeezes the lemons, who handles sales, and who does the accounting. Sometimes, in a micro-business, it may all be done by the same person, but each ROLE is distinct, separate, and specialized, and this should be recognized and documented.

EVERY business must know who their best customers are. EVERY business must have a marketing plan, a budget, and an R&D team. EVERY business needs a business plan that is current and reviewed often.

Ya Gotta Have a Plan - To learn more about this author, visit Rodger Blaker's Website.

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