The idea of a business plan has cropped up from time to time in conversations with my entrepreneur groups. Creating a business plan tends to create a lot of angst among entrepreneurs. What is a business plan? How do I create it? Why do I need it? And, "I just want to get going on my business, and this is just one more hoop I have to jump through before I can get going!" I can tell you, I had all of these questions. As entrepreneurs, we tend to look at life a bit differently and balk at being told what to do or being expected to follow the mainstream. If we didn't do this to some extent, we wouldn't be entrepreneurs!! But I grudgingly admitted to myself that a business plan provides a basic road map and, like everything else in life, if you don't know where you are going, how are you going to get there?? There is, of course, a lot of information about writing business plans available on the internet. I was fortunate to stumble across an amazing book that makes creating a business plan a lot less painful and a lot more fun! "The Boss of You" by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears is an easy, fun read that encourages you to complete a variety of exercises designed to help you create that road map toward a successful business. This book is written by successful women entrepreneurs FOR women entrepreneurs. If you read it, I recommend buying a fun little notebook or journal you can have handy to record your thoughts and responses to the exercises. I can't tell you how valuable a tool this was for me and there is also a lot of great advice and explanations about the world of business that is extremely helpful for someone with limited business experience. The Duluth Public Library has "The Boss of You" in its collection. Here is the authors' website where you can find out more! http://www.laurenandemira.com
Helping you OWN It!
Sarah