Planning is not everything

The are many quotes about planning and many of them are 100% true. However, planning is not the only process! It is part of a bigger process that includes other aspects like "doing it".

Let's go through this:

You want to start a business, you have the necessary skills to perform the services you are going to provide and the only thing that you need to do is get some paying clients and away you go. You are not going to leave your current job until you are ready to go 100%.

BUT WAIT!

You have read and been told that, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" and "plans are nothing, planning is everything". So, you read some more and you plan some more. You compile a growing pile of impressive budgets, business plans and projections that are amazing and even wow your critical and sceptical friends.

There is NEVER a right time.

A YEAR LATER!

You are still planning to leave your job and still have those impressive documents but have not done anything about it because you are doing something else that is critical to starting a business.

Yes, I am over exaggerating here but the point is this, ACTION is the only way to get going. Some plan to leave and then take action and leave. Others, like myself, are thrown into the deep end, being retrenched or the like.

What I am NOT saying is that you should not plan at all. The entity setup and favourable ways to run your business like bank accounts or loans are incredibly important to get right.

What I AM saying is that planning is not the only thing to do. even in planning, you test the market, put out 'feelers' to potential clients etc. Analysis of these tests help in deciding where you go next.

The timing will NEVER be perfect!

Need Proof? COVID lockdown produced a huge number of successful businesses and the expansion of businesses was massive. I would never have looked at looking for clients overseas had COVID not hit.

One last word on planning and you may have heard me talk about this before, planning is only productive if the numbers that you work with are REALISTIC. PLEASE do not base anything on hopes and dreams. Plan to make a loss in the first year, possibly even two. That is what happens in real life.

Let's have a chat about how we can get you into action!

Bruce

081 529 5129

[email protected]