Maybe you are one of those organized home business owners who has actually written up a business plan? Maybe you even have a budget, a five-year plan, and an official plan for how to reach your short-term and long-term growth goals? While this is absolutely fantastic and would probably make you in the minority of small home business owners, there are going to be those times when all those plans are for naught. You’ll have to come up with plan B (or C or D) and be willing to find some alternatives…
Some people find that having a back-up plan already in the wings, so to speak, works for them, while others wait until plan A hits the rocks before scrambling to come up with an alternative. Knowing that you CAN problem-solve alternatives and keeping some options open increase your flexibility and your chances of surviving a mishap with your home business. All of us, at some time or another, are going to have to adjust our expectations or change course—how well we are able to do that will depend on our ability to reach out and nurture alternatives.
If you can remember that there are many different ways to succeed and every problem has more than one solution, you will be a step ahead of the game when reality requires you to turn to plan B. It could be something minor—like a deadline or date change, or it could be something major—a change in your product line or service delivery or losing a major client at an inopportune time. Instead of viewing it as a devastating disaster, the most resilient small business owners see these as an opportunity to move the business in a new and different direction. Having a plan or two in your back pocket as alternatives, will keep you moving forward with your business regardless of what happens.
Also: When Your Goals and Priorities Change