Tuesday, December 09, 2008

It's the most wonderful time of the year......

While that line may make some think of a holiday song, it makes me think about one of the things I love the most in my job - planning. Woo Hoo. I realize I'm one of the few people this year who are getting excited about planning. How do you plan for a future that is so unknown and unpredictable?

This weekend a had a call with a client with the goal of creating a plan for 2009. With all the economic uncertainly he is a little hesitant to plan. He doesn't want to put all his eggs into one basket and miss out on an opportunity. Feeling this way is perfectly understandable but all successful businesses plan - and this guy is smart enough to know that. So we made a loose plan with room to move around and make changes.

I'm sure there are many other business owners who are afraid to set out a course for 2009. I would like to encourage those people to take a deep breath and ask for help. Your plan doesn't have to be so rigid that you can't make changes according to your business needs. If you don't plan, you won't go forward.

You wouldn't jump onboard a boat without a chart, course, fuel, sails, paddels and a lot of food and water. Don't enter the New Year that way or you may end up floating around the ocean hoping that the tide to bring you to shore. We all know that rarely happens.

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