Today's guest post is from Meredith Eisenberg, my amazing online business manager…
Have you noticed that people seem to fall into two camps when planning road trips?
Are you more of a planner, with every stop along the way pre-planned? You know exactly where you’ll be stopping for gas, have the hotel room along the way pre-booked and the AAA number programmed into your cell phone. Or, are you more of an explorer, taking off to parts unknown with a general idea of where you are going, but the trip forms itself as you go along? Maybe, you are somewhere in the middle?
My natural tendency is to be more of an “explorer”, but I have to admit that age, responsibility and having my own business have awakened me to the advantages of being a planner. So, now instead of closing my eyes and picking a point on a map for a trip, I usually have a destination in mind, and have taken some basic steps to make sure we get there safely (I know about when to stop for gas, about where will be staying, iPhone charged, backup maps (since iPhone maps don’t really work), carry the AAA card, etc. I must admit I do tend to have fewer misadventures with a tiny bit of pre-planning.
When it comes to your business are you an explorer or a planner? What do you think the basics are that people need to have in place to take advantage of opportunities, yet have enough structure to build a business.
Here is my my list of the basics you need to strike a balance between planning and exploring in your business:
- A revenue forecast (a plan for how you are going to make money over the next month, quarter, year)
- A plan for selling all those services and products you imagined in your revenue forecast.
- A system for getting new clients. For most people, this includes minimally a web site and some sort of outreach plan.
- A system for tracking your results (I’ve found that this is the key thing most of my clients who struggle miss)
What would you say the minimum requirements are for a successful business journey? Please share in the comments.
Meredith Eisenberg is the founder of the Launch Ladies a digital marketing agency that helps entrepreneurs turn their passions into thriving businesses. Doing a teleseminar and need help with all the e-mails – check out the Launch Ladies' teleseminar e-mail marketing cookbook here.
