A perfect plan won’t ever happen. What you need instead is a “working plan” that is focused, concise, and easy to change!

Planning is very important. My unscientific research leads me to believe that for every hour I plan, I save 10 hours in the long run (and make fewer mistakes). And even though I taught business plan classes for people looking for funding for their business, I did not create my own plan for a long time and used every excuse in the book to justify my actions.

But after graduating from a life-training coaching program, my business was failing. Then I attended a workshop on the simplest business-plan format around, called, “The One Page Business Plan®. I left with pieces of my plan on paper and realized that now that I had written things down, drastic changes were on the horizon. So with the help of my coach I reinvented my business around the things I love doing most. Each year my plan is updated and I create lots of other types of plans using the same 5 questions I’ve learned and teach others how to use, too!

Here’s a simple look at five key strategic questions*:
• Vision: What career or business are you growing?
• Mission: What’s the end result of this career or business?
• Goals: What results will you measure that define career or business success?
• Strategies: How will you grow your career or business?
• Plans: What is the work you have to do to reach your goals?

*The questions are from the One Page Business Plan® by Jim Horan.

©2010 Maria Marsala, Business Coach, Strategic Marketer, Speaker, Author and former Wall Street Trader.  We help remarkable women CEOs get a life and future from their business by providing accountability, support and a (gentle) kick in the a** when needed.  Subscribe to FOCUS! our tips ezine at Elevating Your Business.com