Successful And Sustainable Business Plans

Falling Water: architectural genius Frank Lloyd Wright's remotely situated work of art in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
A cantilevered dream house built into the rock ledges sitting on a waterfall in the middle of the woods. A complex, Da-Vinci-like design, a great work of art, commissioned in the 1930's, Falling Water is visited by over 128,000 people every year.

In each of us lies that next song or poem, that next piece of coreography, that next speech. One is in your brain right now, developing as you read this.

What is your next great idea?

Where is it stuck? What needs to happen to make it complete? When will be the moment of its birth? (It's transformation from imagination and creation to reality)

Often we get stuck because we don't write it down. Can you imagine a builder trying to build a house without a blueprint? A symphony being conducted and played without a sheet of music to read? A business plan not written down? OOPS....I think I hit a chord there. (no pun intended)

Every successful, sustainable business has a written plan. A good one starts with a vision, values, and a mission statement. (What's yours? Is it on your website? Is it on your wall? Does it make sense and still resonate with you when you read it? Or does it need a little tweaking?) Out of your vision, values and mission springs your business plan, which inside it contains both your strategy and your tactics: your marketing plan, your recruiting plan, your training plan, your sales plan, your environmental plan, whatever pieces make up your unique business. Within your plan are all the written systems and structures which will support your business, including job descriptions, poicies and procedures, schedules, compensation plans, etc.

As is was with Falling Water: It wasn't enough to have just a rough sketch of the house. What kind of architect uses a "back of the napkin" sketch and calls it finished? Mr. Wright had to create so much more. He worked for years to create and re-create detailed and well-measured drawings of absolutely everything. If you have never read about Falling Water, it is a remarkable story. Check out the YouTube video of a very real-looking model of Falling Water being demolished by a wrecking ball. (just search Falling Water wrecking ball and you'll find it)

My point is this: He didn't just wing it. How often do we wing it in business? Let's be honest. You may have the greatest vision in the world. Without a written plan all you have is an idea. And if you don't get it down on paper, it is likely to end up wiped out by the wrecking ball, because you forgot it, you're not clear on it, or you haven't written it out fully enough to see what's missing.

Just a question: What if Michaelangelo had kept his idea of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in his head? What if Beethoven had not written his symphonies down?

Let's get things written down. In detail. Once they're in writing, let's review them regularly, so we can make the necessary changes. Mr. Wright had to make changes to Falling Water when certain things didn't work as well as he had thought, and when unexpected problems came up. Thankfully, he had a plan to go back to.

That leads to my second point. Everything that pertains to your business will change over time. Nothing is ever status quo. So have your vision, values, mission, goals, and plans easily accessible so you can make changes and they don't become obsolete.

A business plan in a three ring binder up on top of the bookshelf gathering dust serves no one. Where is your business plan? When is the last time you reviewed it? Get it down from the shelf and take a look. You never know what you might find!

copyright 2008 Julia Marrocco all rights reserved