10 Year Dream Plan
There are a million different resources on developing a business plan. Some say, you need a vision statement and develop a plan from there. I actually don’t agree; however, the problem no one likes to address is what happens when you have an idea, but have no idea about the rest of it? I think the thing that stumps a lot of people is how to turn an idea into a vision. First things first, let’s not get fancy, just get it done. Something on paper is better than a scrambled idea in your head, and I am betting once you start this process of getting it down on paper you vision will find you. It’s inside you, wrapped around that great idea, this is just the process of unwrapping what you already have in your head and making it real.
BRAIN DUMP
Start with a brain dump. Get a blank piece of scratch paper, old notebook, napkin, whatever is handy. Again, we aren’t being fancy, we are freeing our minds. So, if that little adorable notebook in the corner is your inspiration, then go get it, but if the moment hits you at the kitchen table, write it on a napkin. It doesn’t matter. Listen to your brain when it’s talking to you. Now, as you write down every crazy fantasy and idea about this business you have stored up, start asking yourself these questions:
What do I want to do?
Why do I want to do it?
Who wants this product or service?
Why will they want it?
What things do I have to make this happen?
What things do I need to make this happen?
Why am I special or different than other people offering something similar?
What do I need to learn and/or improve within myself to get this done?
CATEGORIZE
Now you have a bunch of scribbles, ideas, questions, and goals to help you get started. Take this page (or pile of scrap papers, you know whatever works) and let’s get this categorized into lists. Yes, friends, we are back to my favorite topic: lists! Start with two lists “Reasons to Pursue My Dream Business” and “Barriers to my Dream Business”. See, we are still building the “real” vision. Whether you are just planning to open a new business or have recently started, there is one common theme, it doesn’t matter what point we are starting at in the race, we all still need to know the final destination. Look at the lists and see which parts on each list appear the most important to you.
WRITE SOMETHING DOWN
That’s right, write two sentences that describe the “vision” of your company. It won’t be perfect, that’s ok. This might take a few days and a few tries. Just, keep your lists and your two sentences and read them every day, once a day until inspiration strikes. Now, we are going to make it official. Take those re-written lines and write it out as your vision statement, lock it in, and make sure you stand by it! Don’t let the noise of the world distract you from your main vision.
10-YEAR DREAM PLAN
This is where it gets easier! You have your vision statement, it’s clear, it’s concise, and it describes your overall dream. I can tell you right now, it doesn’t matter if it’s perfect, it only matters that it is perfect for you. This will be your driving force going forward, so while people may read it to understand who you are and that can be important, I promise the most important thing is that it keeps you on track.
Now, it’s time to start the 10-Year Plan. Why start at the end? Because, if you limit yourself to what you think you can do in 1 year, you will also limit what you can accomplish in 10 years. We just made our vision, so let’s assume that all objectives on that vision are a reality in 10 years. On this plan make a list of what income you’d like, what future products you are selling/developing, staffing levels, location, anything concrete that helps you visualize what your vision looks like in real life.
5-YEAR ACTION PLAN
Now, you have your dream plan. Let’s break it down. What exactly does it look like to be halfway to your goal? This is where list making becomes a must! Start with each category you have in your 10-year dream plan and break it down to categories. Under each category I want you to strive for no less than 5 bullet points under each topic and write down ALL the tasks you can think of that will make that goal come to life. Now, with that messy sheet or sheets of lists in front of you, I want you to reorganize those lists into the order you think they need to happen. Realistically, these are big lists, but don’t worry, we’re not doing it all today. It will realistically take you 5 years to get this all done. The thing about these lists is this. If you write down everything you can think of, you will find that they will not cover every detail of what needs to be done. Instead, this list will keep you moving in a definitive direction. So, just write it out and know, you got this! You have 5 years to finish all this mess and if you just get started with item #1 eventually you will have it all handled. Sometimes, you will feel ahead of schedule. Sometimes, you will feel behind the eight ball. Sometimes, you will be adding things to this list that you didn’t know were going to be a problem. But, by moving forward one item at a time, it will all get done.
1-YEAR PLAN: WE START TODAY!
Guess what, if you finished reading this and started getting you vision statement and 10-year plan put together, you already get to check one thing off the list! Now, I want you to go to that 5-Year list from hell! Look it over and grab a few top items from each section and drop them on your 1-Year Plan. The truth is you want the primary focus of this year to be on Branding, Building Clientele, Securing Vendors, Checking Supply Lines, Staffing, and Pricing. But who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and one of those pieces will just fall into place easily. If it does, great! Go back to your 5-Year Plan in July or November or whenever and get a few more items on your list. These are just plans my friend, and plans change.
Sometimes, people think a plan is exactly what you’re going to do, but it’s not. Life is messy, sometimes unexpected problems or opportunities arise. Plans are made to keep us on the path, like a good road map. Plans are NOT meant to limit your possibilities. While your vision won’t change, you may need to adjust these 1, 5, & 10-Year goals more frequently if you are achieving more than you thought you could, faster than you thought you could. What a great problem, right!? The key to really utilizing this system, is more about working harder and working smarter if you feel you’re falling behind and having a clear path to achieving more if you happen to get ahead of schedule.