"The plan is coming together, the ideas are forming, and solidifying, and I am looking at my business from (almost) every conceivable angle. I say almost in parenthesis because nobody owns a crystal ball, and not one person can tell you what may or may not happen in your business. It's just not possible."
Do you?
Well - today we started to cover those angles, the inconceivable, the negative, the sour, the unimaginable. In other other words; we covered everything no business person (small or large) ever wants to think about. The rub? You gotta, because they could happen.
Today, left the class feeling like a bunch of Negative Nellies.
When your planning your business, whether it be time to live the dream you've had as a child, or have become proficient in something you believe you can do on your own, you don't really want to sit down and examine every possible negative angle the business can take. Firstly, it's not as fun as imagining the possible, living the dream. Looking beyond the possibilities and spending time on the issues that could break your business isn't my idea of a way to spend the afternoon; but it has to be done. It's important to take the time and write out all the unimaginable things that can happen to you, the people you love, and the people you may eventually hire. Spending the time on hypothetical (yet possible) scenarios can prepare you for any type of "disaster" and allow you the opportunity to form a contingency plan.
Today, as I sat in class and started to write things down it, didn't take long to come up a nice long and somewhat realistic list of things that could happen to me while I am running my business. These are issues we've thought about, and maybe mentioned to friends and family, but are told,
"Hey! Is that any way to think? You gotta be positive man!"
And when it comes to our friends and family being there as external support, they are right....You need to keep thinking positive so as to not attract any negative energy. These thoughts however are crucial. If you think about them, and prepare for them (even if it's just on paper), and they do happen, you aren't going to be caught off guard. You might even have a detailed procedure to help you through the tough time. That isn't being negative, it's being practical, and every good business plan makes room for these scenarios.
Sure they aren't great to think about, and it left some of the class a little downtrodden, and negative for the day, but it sure gets you thinking. Think of the worst case scenario, plan for it, and hopefully you will never have to use it.
Today, as I sat in class and started to write things down it, didn't take long to come up a nice long and somewhat realistic list of things that could happen to me while I am running my business. These are issues we've thought about, and maybe mentioned to friends and family, but are told,
"Hey! Is that any way to think? You gotta be positive man!"
And when it comes to our friends and family being there as external support, they are right....You need to keep thinking positive so as to not attract any negative energy. These thoughts however are crucial. If you think about them, and prepare for them (even if it's just on paper), and they do happen, you aren't going to be caught off guard. You might even have a detailed procedure to help you through the tough time. That isn't being negative, it's being practical, and every good business plan makes room for these scenarios.
Sure they aren't great to think about, and it left some of the class a little downtrodden, and negative for the day, but it sure gets you thinking. Think of the worst case scenario, plan for it, and hopefully you will never have to use it.
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