While we are busy handling all the daily details and putting out fires in our home businesses in the present—there is still a certain amount of “forward thinking” that we need to do. One of the biggest challenges of running any sort of business is trying to figure out where you are going and anticipating what you might need when you get there…
Planning in advance means that you can lay the foundation now so that the infrastructure is ready when you get where you are going. I know that for many of us, we just assume our business is too small or too inconsequential; we figure that we will either figure things out as we go along, or we will make adjustments when we see where we end up. Sure, flexibility can be one of the great things about a small home business, but this does not excuse us from planning how to get from here to there. By having a plan, we cannot eliminate surprises and challenges, but we can look at our progress in terms of steps instead of sudden reaction.
For example, let us say that you are working on writing a book about your “specialty” to further expand your business. While you are busy writing the book, you can also be busy figuring out how to market it once it is published. You can gather the information and do the market research, make contacts with those who can help you and begin getting the book out into the public eye before it is actually ready to go. All of this advance work will help you to be ready when the time comes. Having a plan and anticipating the future means we can lay the groundwork to support our dreams as they unfold.
See Also: Career Planning: Choosing Work that Fits You
Making a Plan to Get Out of Debt