Small Business Planning: How To Start A Business Plan

Small Business Planning Pillar #1: How To Start A Business Plan – Mindset

“Plans are useless, planning is essential.” – Dwight Eisenhower.

Tell me how to start a business plan.

Stop thinking about small business plans and start thinking about small business planning. A business plan is just a snapshot in time, like a balance sheet. Business planning is a frame of mind. It evolves and matures over time. (Most people meticulously plan their wedding day and forget about planning their marriage.)

And forget any notions of staying up small business planning till dusk each night. Few would find this palettable and in any case, it doesn’t make for an inspiring read.

For the small business intrapreneur, business is part planning, part instinct. He needs both to function properly.

Man’s concentration span is about seven seconds. Why fight it? Don’t expect to be productive by forcing yourself to think for hours on end about your business ideas. Let your subconscious do the work. Just be prepared to capture the pearls of wisdom that flow from it once you have freed your mind from the misery of having to write business plans.

Piece your plan together in 60 second bursts as and when the thoughts arise.

Involve all but ultimately it’s you, the intrapreneur, who takes responsibility for small business planning. You’re the most important person in this respect and a plan written by a group will end up a mess. Don’t forget, a camel is a just a horse designed by a committee.

So let’s find a new way of looking at this business planning thing.

The 12 golden rules of small business planning:

- Small business and small business planning are two sides of the same coin.

- Don’t delegate responsibility for the planning process. It’s part of you. It’s living and breathing.

- Involve everyone in the planning. It’s much less lonely. And gives better results.

- Don’t fret about finishing the plan. It has no ending anyway. Planning goes on forever.

- The plan is always wrong. It has to be. It is just a snapshot in time, like a balance sheet.

- Don’t slave at a desk trying to answer all the questions. Let you subconscious do the work.

- Don’t spend more than 60 seconds at any one time writing your plan. (yes, sixty seconds)

- Keep a pen and paper to hand (or Blackberry, PDA etc) and be ready to capture inspired thoughts which will flow with ever greater regularity.

- Don’t just use text. Use audio, images, charts, diagrams, sketches, models etc

- Don’t use big words where small words will do.

- Allow the small business planning process to change your mind on issues, don’t be too rigid and don’t ignore the bleeding obvious.

- You’re planning for you. Everyone else can wait.

“Life is what happens to you whilst you’re planning for the future.”

So you had better get going. Don’t think too hard about how to start a business plan. Just start. Planning starts at the point you decide to take action on your idea. I guess you’ve just started.

Ten Pillars Of Small Business Planning – Introduction

Small Business Planning Pillar #1: How To Start A Business Plan – Mindset

Small Business Planning Pillar #2: Strategy

Small Business Planning Pillar #3: Mini Business Strategies And Postage Stamps

Small Business Planning Pillar #4: Changing Gear: Seed Money & Intrapreneurs

Small Business Planning Pillar #5: Rapid Content Building

Small Business Planning Pillar #6.0: The Four Financial Statements

……Small Business Planning Pillar #6.1: Profit And Loss Statement (P&L)

……Small Business Planning Pillar #6.2: Cash Flow Statement (Forecast)

……Small Business Planning Pillar #6.3: Balance Sheet Statement (Forecast)

……Small Business Planning Pillar #6.4: Financial Assumptions

Small Business Planning Pillar #7: Business Metrics