How to plan a business quickly

By: Linda H. Burton
On: July 14, 2018

You heard him. There’s an epidemic out there of people who just say but never do. These entrepreneurs go around the world giving many justifications to avoid the one thing that really matters: taking action and starting any business.

To start eliminating this problem a little bit, I would like to show you a very easy way to plan a project quickly, so that you can see how I am also applying this concept in my most recent project. Instead of spending hours creating a business plan, with a few simple questions you’ll be able to form a quick solid foundation to get off on the right foot.

As a warning, these questions are for anyone who wants to create a micro business, usually 1 to 5 people, based on your passion or things you like, without the need for investors or complicated things. This information is for anyone, regardless of age or other unnecessary justifications.

5 simple questions to start a business

Copy the questions, take a piece of paper or write them on your blackboard, because these simple questions will give you a general idea of your next project and will be the impetus to formalize that idea you’ve had in your head for a long time.

What are you going to create?

No project starts without a product or service. It’s the raw material of the project, that simple.

It’s your turn to think about what you’re going to sell, what you’re going to offer, what you want to innovate, what service you want to give. For example, if you are going to be a photographer, then you will be able to offer a photography service, or sell photos or anything else you can think of.

If what you do is inform others, then you need to create a product (such as a course or ebook) that you can offer to your audience. It all depends on the twist of your project.

The earlier, the better: remember is better than perfect, start with the little but enough you have of the project. What you need is to get started, because only then will you know how the market will respond, what improvements you will need to make or what things you will need to change.

Who’s it for?

Knowing your ideal market is a crucial point that many forget to question. It is not the same to make a product or service and see who gets it, than to have an idea of who is going to receive it to make it feel as if it were made just for them. This is the perfect time to start creating your small army of people, who may have the same interests as you.

The one that embraces much, does not squeeze much: I have seen many times that people do not have a clear picture of who is directing their project. But no matter how much you think, your project is not going to be accepted by every man (or woman) in the world – opinions are so diverse, you’ll never make everyone happy.

My friend Gustavo Vallejo has a special course called Avatar, which might interest you if you want to know more about it.

Why does it have to be done?

Whatever action you do in life must have a reason. It’s exactly the same in business. You have to have a reason why you’re doing things, a motivation, a desire to start your ideas.

If you do it out of passion, that’s fine. If you do it to change the world, so much the better. But if you do it just to earn money or to be better than others, I assure you that you will be a little empty, that you will feel, sooner or later, that there is something missing in the things you do. But whatever you do and think, remember that the only one you are going to deceive is yourself.

Start by questioning the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing and then take your time to create a memorable message, which will be the permanent tattoo of your business.

How are you going to structure it?

Now you need to start shaping your business. You need to have something tangible, that future customers understand that you’re already out there, doing your bit. If it’s going to be on the internet, then you have to find out what you’re going to need: a website, a blog, a store, articles, videos, newsletter, etc.

If it’s physical, then find out if you’re going to need a local store, how you’re going to create your products or how you’re going to handle your customers personally.

You’re going to need to forge your plan of attack (something I’ll be explaining soon) to know how you’re going to get to the heart of your customers, how you’re going to make them show up in your business, what resources you’re going to use and what you’re going to do to influence your people.

This is where the fun happens – it’s time to build your masterpiece.

When will it be done?

When you or your team are solely responsible for making things happen, you need to set deadlines. Mark the day on your calendar, tell your followers or your mother, if it is the case, that you are going to start your project on a specific date so that you know that there are people waiting or attentive to what you are saying.