I'm a firm believer in having a flexible business plan. Now for sure you need a plan of some kind. And yes, I tried to sit down and do the whole "formal business plan" thing many times. I never once got it finished. It's still sitting in my office undone... along with the book that promised to help me get it done in a day! Mind you I bought that book 7 years ago. Are you shocked? Don't be. I'm not running my business on wild guesses, throwing ideas against a wall to see what sticks. I have a better system. I do strategic planning and I keep an open mind and keep my plans flexible. Here's why...
I'm not sure if you had a chance to visit, but you can learn more About Me and How aWAEHQn dreams Came To Be on that page here if you'd like. In a nutshell, when I decided to start my business back in 2005, I had no business experience. None at all. I was changing careers and my entire background was in medicine. I had a lot to learn and became extremely good at internet research and applying what I learned. I took my business online in 2009 and I began networking and meeting people online from all over the world. Jump to 2011.
I have plans for my company... big plans... a full 7 division corporation all mapped out. And, honestly, aWAEHQn dreams Success Coaching was NOT part of those plans. I suppose it's something one would call a "Happy Accident" and has become a huge component of my future plans. It came about because I finally realized that I have a wealth of knowledge that others could benefit from. And I learned this because people started coming to me for help... A LOT.
I came up with the idea for aWAEHQn dreams last fall after suffering a couple of shattering losses that made me stop and think about what I was doing and, more importantly WHY. I love to help people. And, upon close inspection of myself and my behavior, I realized that helping people is the driving force behind everything I do. It makes me happy. I often put aside my own (enormous) To Do list to help someone else with a business question or problem. Until I sat down for this one-on-one with myself though, I didn't realize just HOW OFTEN! Turns out it was the number one reason my planned work wasn't getting done!
I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me in a way. I do have almost 30 years of teaching, mentoring and coaching experience. They say "do what people come to you for and thank you for." And I believe in doing what you enjoy. But I also realized that I couldn't keep setting aside my own work and business goals to help others without being paid... it's just not a feasible business model. And I do need to eat and stuff just as much as the next gal. But I LIKE helping people and I knew I wasn't going to stop... I hadn't stopped yet! So I decided that, if I was going to continue doing it and people continued to ask for my help (which they have), that I'd better make a business out of it. So I sat down, had a good brainstorming session and rearranged my strategic plan and goals. Good thing I keep that plan flexible!
And even within aWAEHQn dreams Success Coaching, I've changed course. I had planned to write a full-length book and have it published by December. But part of being a successful businesswoman is listening and watching the people you serve so I've been doing that. And what I've learned is that A LOT of you need help; you need help with the same things and you need it FAST. So, I decided to put aside the book for now.
I had another one of those brainstorming sessions to come up with a plan. I determined that by offering programs online I could help more of you, quicker, in less overall time (since I only have so many hours in a day) although one-on-one coaching is still an available option.
I realized that by doing so I could also quickly introduce you to some powerful business tools and things you could immediately put into practice. I have a whole brain and many file cabinets and computer files full of research to share. (I do a lot of research and can do it quickly and efficiently.) So I set out to find out what exactly you need to know. Thank you to those of you who did my surveys and polls... your input was invaluable in this process.
I'll be sharing those results with you on Tuesday... along with the winner of the giveaway I offered for filling out the extra survey. And I'll have a very exciting announcement for you!
Enjoy your weekend!
Much success,
Loved reading about your biz journey. thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanx Posh! I appreciate you coming over :)
DeleteWonderful blog. I enjoyed reading. The Business plan focus on the entire operation. It serves as the checklist for opening, operation and future development.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying it. Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment :)
DeleteYour journey might have inspired a lot of entrepreneurs right now, and I should thank you for sharing your experiences here. Your experiences really show how valuable it is to become flexible in the business world. Flexibility is one key trait or personality that companies look for when hiring a new employee. I guess the same goes with start-up businesses as well. What do you think?
ReplyDelete-Alleli of Infinit-O (BPO Company)
Thank you Alleli. Yes, I do. Actually I think with start-ups it may be even more important because typically there are less employees and, over time, a lot of changes occur in a start-up. Being flexible is definitely a valuable asset. Depending on your business goals, it can make or break your career. If you want to grow with a company for instance, you may come on board as a virtual (or in person) assistant and over time, learning more and more, could advance to a management role or even a business partnership.
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