It has taken me an entire month to bring myself to complete it, but I am on the homestretch now in locking down a business plan for my newest project.
I have a deeper understanding now of why so many new and aspiring business owners detest this process, it is tedious, arduous and essentially goes against everything that inspires creative entrepreneurship in the first place.
When what we seek to create is bound to evolve, it is difficult to forecast progress and outcomes in conventional and linear ways. The formal idea of the ‘business plan’ seems dated and limiting for entrepreneurs who are are ideas-led change-makers.
The digital landscape whilst opening up so many new opportunities and possibilities to reach and connect with people, also lends itself to confusion and unpredictability. We have access to more data than ever to find our niche market and customer-base, yet marketers are needing to continually and rapidly improve their strategies in order to keep up with technology.
Perhaps it is this that has hindered the writing of my business plan – the assumption that my objectives and strategies will change in the next month, week, or day, just as my creative thoughts and practices do – as I acquire new learnings in this virtual world.
I must say however that having some kind of document – whether a 30-page long business plan or one page of bullet points – serves as a necessary launching pad for any entrepreneurial endeavour. It enables us to look at our dreams in a real way – it affirms them and makes them seem more attainable; and from them, we can set tangible goals for active pursuit.
So as I apply the finishing touches to my business plan, I look forward to the exciting (though challenging) journey ahead to bring everything on paper to life.