John Baymore on mon 25 jun 01
Great comments Joyce!!!!
Advice may seem out of order from someone who doesn't attempt to sell =3D=
very much of her claywork, thus having little experience in that arena =3D=
.. but if and/or when I do ... right behind having developed a solid =3D=
sense of confidence in my work ... will follow a Business Plan, a =3D
personal plan that is appropriate for ME and MY business. Every =3D
successful small businesswoman that I know has a well constructed =3D
Business Plan and updates it regularly. =
To add to Joyce's and Ivor's " business plan" comments........
The basic idea of a busines plan is to develop a set of short, medium, an=
d
long term goals and then also develop a "road map" to get you to your
goals. Within this context, if an idea you suddenly have doesn't "fit"
into reaching the the goals of the business plan or takes a route that
doesn't fit....... you either have to temporarily "shelve" the idea as a
good one....but not appropriate at the moment to moving your business
forward..... or you need to reassess your business plan. This idea keeps=
a
business on track and on task and keeps you from going off on tangents th=
at
may or may not end up being financially productive.
A business plan can be good....... but you DO have to watch it and make
sure that it doesn't become a "straight jacket". The best approach to a
business plans is to keep concepts broad and flexible.
There are tons of books in the business management sections of book store=
s
on strategic planning, vision statements, mission statements, and busines=
s
plans. There are software packages that help you develop these things. =
Not too expensive.
The more employees a business has the more important some sort of busines=
s
plan becomes. This framework hepls to keep all the people involved focus=
ed
on a specific set of goals and means to reach them. Everyone knows where=
the goalposts are and is running the ball in the same direction. A sole
proprietor type business can play "fast an loose" with such a plan and ge=
t
away with it .
BEst,
...............john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop August 17-26,
2001"
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