| Success is in the Planning | | | | budgeting. This is what determines whether |
| | | | your business lives or dies. |
| Be the value it takes to achieve the success | | | | |
| | | | What will your store front look like? |
| "Start with the desired end results in | | | | |
| mind" | | | | Merchandising is everything. I have designed |
| | | | merchandising venues that offered the |
| What will your business look like in the end? | | | | customer an easy, but fun walk thru the store |
| | | | by arranging furniture into vignettes of |
| “If you don’t know where | | | | three or in an island formation. This will |
| you’re going, you’ll probably end | | | | give the store a feel of openness, |
| up somewhere else.” David Campbell PhD | | | | organization and flow. If your storefront |
| | | | does not afford the luxury of a fun floor |
| The Wright Brothers, Leonardo Di Vinci, | | | | plan, then make it as user Friendly as |
| Tucker Donald Trump, Thomas Edison and Jesus | | | | possible so it is easy for the customer to |
| all saw what could be before it existed. Most | | | | find merchandise. |
| people are of the mindset that they | | | | |
| won’t believe it until they see it. The | | | | What will your website tell the customer to |
| fact is you won’t see it until you | | | | do? |
| believe it in your own mind first. | | | | |
| | | | I have visited many websites that were either |
| The same goes for your business. Create a | | | | poorly designed because it did not tell me |
| picture of what it should be like and then | | | | what to do or at least tell me how they could |
| design it to look and feel like the design. | | | | help me. I spent months designing my website |
| Design your business with this question in | | | | concept to say the right things based on my |
| mind, where could my business be in two | | | | advertising plan. It is Key to your |
| years? Most businesses fail within the first | | | | advertising and business presence that they |
| year because of the lack of planning. I have | | | | be congruent with each other. |
| been there and done that. I won’t be so | | | | |
| short sighted again. | | | | Who will be connecting with customers out in |
| | | | the Field? |
| I started my plan with the end results in | | | | |
| mind in the areas of purpose, How much income | | | | Warm up conversation is very important when |
| and by when, how many customers, what type of | | | | your field person goes to connect with the |
| customers and the details of my services; but | | | | customer at their home. I learned to sneak |
| I work my business one day at a time, one | | | | peeks at wall hangings, children’s |
| brochure at a time, one phone call at time, | | | | clothes or sports equipment to give me some |
| and one follow-up at a time. | | | | common ground to talk about before I shared |
| | | | my product or service with the customer. It |
| It is very important that you know where you | | | | makes the customer feel more at ease and |
| want your business to end up at, but work it | | | | comfortable. |
| from where you are today! | | | | |
| | | | Will you have daily or weekly cash flow? |
| Food For Thought | | | | |
| | | | I believe the number one reason why small |
| "If it were EASY to start up a | | | | businesses fail is because the Business Owner |
| successful new business, then everybody would | | | | treats it like a job in combination with not |
| be doing it and then it would be worth the | | | | understanding the principles of money |
| equivalent of flippin' burgers at your local | | | | management. I for one have learned this the |
| McDonald's - a minimum wage job." Jim | | | | hard way via bankruptcy – which was |
| Rohrbach | | | | mentally and emotionally draining. |
| | | | |
| “The Entrepreneurial Model does not | | | | Who does business with you? |
| start with a picture of the business to be | | | | |
| created, but of the customer for whom the | | | | Medical professionals, dentists, architects, |
| business is to be created for.” Michael | | | | financial planners, mill workers, other |
| Gerber | | | | business owners, investors, military, |
| | | | managers, retiree’s, Who? My point is |
| “To The Entrepreneur, the business is | | | | if you don’t have a picture of who your |
| the product and the customer is the | | | | customer is then you will spend money on |
| opportunity.” Michael Gerber | | | | advertising trying to attract the wrong |
| | | | customer. |
| How many customers will you be able to | | | | |
| service? | | | | Food For Thought |
| | | | |
| “Once you have invested the time and | | | | If you offer business services, you want to |
| made the efforts necessary to build a | | | | target businesses. You would not advertise |
| high-quality, trust-based relationship with | | | | your business services geared for business |
| your customer, you must maintain that | | | | professionals in the thrifty ads, you would |
| relationship for the life of your business. | | | | advertise in your local newspapers business |
| You must never take it for granted.” | | | | section, local business journal or using the |
| Brian Tracy | | | | Yahoo Search Market where you can target your |
| | | | customer. |
| What will your net income be? | | | | |
| | | | “Why Businesses Fail. It's because they |
| Start simple. Based on whether you offer | | | | don't know how to succeed. They haven't the |
| products or services figure out what you need | | | | slightest idea how to make a business |
| to take home on a weekly basis and then | | | | successful. They may have an idea for a |
| calculate how much product you need to sell | | | | product or service, but they don't know all |
| or services you need to render - minus your | | | | the things that they need to know to run a |
| expenses and taxes to meet your net income | | | | successful business. |
| plan. Do not sell your self short on | | | | |