Life Plan vs Business Plan

There is so much involved in starting a business. It takes a lot of work and patience to successfully launch a business and turn a profit. However, many people underestimate the investment of time and planning that is involved way before you get your first client or before the major expansion.

In 2010 my company celebrated ten years in business. I could not believe it had been that long. I started out part-time, just to have something to do while I was at home with my children. However I grew to love the independence, the power in setting your own agenda and helping others with their visions. I was making pretty good money on a part-time basis and began to wonder how I would do if I worked the business full-time. But at that time my life plan did not permit me to launch my business full-time.

Plan, Plan and Plan More

That did not stop me though; during my fifth year in business I started planning to launch the business full-time. I was going to launch when my youngest went to school all day. I conducted research and revised my business plan. I decided how I was going to expand, getting office space, adding additional services and actually advertising. But it did not happen then. Life happened and I had to alter those plans slightly.

But life dealt me a pretty good hand back in December 2009 when I got laid off from my full-time job. My entrepreneurial spirit was reborn and I began a journey to revitalize my business. It feels good to see those plans come to life. In the process I added a new service, Life Coaching. Which I am really passionate about and realized that I have been coaching most of my professional life.

New Opportunities

As our country recovers from the recession, companies are slow to hire. Therefore many still remain without jobs. I believe that contractors will fare better as companies will not be saddled with the long-term expenses of carrying additional employees. Therefore we will begin to see a trend of short-term contract positions. Are you ready to market yourself as an Independent Contractor? Do you know where to start?

Start by discovering your passion and then what your marketable skills are. Look at some of the positions you are interested in and consider submitting a proposal to the hiring manager to bring you on as an Independent Contractor. But do your homework first; research the work you want to do and make sure that there is a demand for your services. You must also make sure that you price your services appropriately. Ask for what you are worth but make sure it fits within industry standards and that you can justify it if it doesn’t.

I am so thankful for those early years because I learned a lot about being in business, discovered my passion and life purpose. I did my homework and planned how I wanted to conduct my business. Those years of planning served as my foundation so when it was time to really launch, all I had to do was dust off my business plan, update some things and get started. In order to be successful in business your life plan needs to compliment your business plan.

What ever you decide to do, do it passionately and live your life on purpose.