Business plans have long been a winning document that will help your business get the funding you need and ensure your venture lasts?
A Business Plan is your action plan, your road map to get you from zero to absolutely killing it!
What is a Business Plan?
Like I said, essentially it’s a roadmap – it sets out your aim, identifies where you want to go, and lays out how you will get there.
You must remember that this is a working document that will guide you through the life of your plan. You aren’t completing a homework assignment where you write a long, complicated essay that you will never look at again!
In fact, the best Business Plans are simple, specific, and realistic.
It should be really useful so that you are referring to it regularly and using it to compare against your actual performance.
Define your version of success
To be completely honest, I like to create a 6-month plan with the projects I want to work on. I have a yearly income goal and then break that down into quarters and then spend time at the end of each quarter planning for the next one. You don’t need a 5-year plan mapped out – and honestly so many changes in online business every year that your plan and way to hit your goals will likely change. But having a big picture goal of what you’re working towards is important.
This is where you need to ask yourself what success means to you. Design success on your terms and figure out what it is that would make you feel successful.
Define your target market
Once you know what you’re going to do, you need to have a clear picture of your target audience. When you’re clear on your target market you’ll be able to write sales pages, social media posts, blog posts, etc, that are tailored directly to your target market and make them feel like you’re speaking directly to them. Brainstorm the type of person who needs your product or service. Find out what their struggles are, what they’re looking for in terms of a solution to their struggle, and how they want to work with you.
Set clear & specific goals
Once you know what you’re going to do, you need to have a clear picture of your target audience. When you’re clear on your target market you’ll be able to write sales pages, social media posts, blog posts, etc, that are tailored directly to your target market and make them feel like you’re speaking directly to them. Brainstorm the type of person who needs your product or service. Find out what their struggles are, what they’re looking for in terms of a solution to their struggle, and how they want to work with you.
Set clear & specific goals
You need to be specific and choose measurable goals (so you know when you’ve hit them) for everything you do in your business. Any strategy you have in your business must have a purpose and a clear goal.
Write as much detail as possible
You aren’t fooling anyone by putting a few bullet points in a Word doc and calling it a business plan. You have to go into detail, research, and strategize the moves you’re making in your business to make sure they help you reach your goals. You can say you’re going to focus your social media efforts on Instagram but that isn’t a plan. A plan is when you decide when to post, where to post, who you’re posting for, what type of graphics you’ll create, how to make your Instagram profile stand out, keep track of analytics, test what’s working and what needs tweaking.