Business plan

Every business requires a business plan. The best plans are those written prior to business implementation. However, business plans can be drafted throughout the life of a business.

Although this article is titled "business plan" I'm not going to give you the boring step by step details of how to create one. I want to show you why it is necessary to compile a business plan when your considering starting a home based business.

My day job (more so the commute) has me so drained that I reserve quality family outings for vacations and weekends (sound familiar?).  This is why I've chosen an online business as my way to earn a living while being able to spend more time with my family.

What will you do with the free time your home based business will allow you to have? Will you blow it or will you use it wisely?

Your business plan should include how much time you will devote to research,  implementation and training. Although there will be special business circumstances that will warrant more time, having a plan gives you somewhere to start.

Your business plan should contain small attainable milestones that will allow you to see your progress when it's complete.

For instance, after you have thoroughly researched your online business,

• determine your website theme

• compile the content your website will initially contain.

• building or purchasing a web template could be one milestone.

• blueprint your website directory structure.

• add your directory structure to your web server.

• proof your website content.

• add content to your web site,

• ensure all page links flow oneway through your website.

This is a basic version of a business plan but this should give you some direction as to what milestones should entail.

The majority of us do not have work schedules that give us the flexibility we need and that is the main reason to start your home based business plan today.

If planned correctly an Internet at home business will slowly pull you out of work schedule enslavement. 

If you do not have a family or job your mode of thinking may be totally different but at some point you will realize that your spending a good part of your time working for someone else and a small part enjoying life.

Everyone should be thankful to wake up to another day but waking up can’t be the end all. 

As well as milestones, your business plan should also include your short and long term goals. Your plan can change as you see fit the goal is to write down your intentions.

One day while looking at Modular Homes on the Internet a co-worker of mine who is a huge pessimist asked if I could “afford a home like that”. I told him "I have a plan".

"Your personal goals can be factored into your business plan. When creating your business plan, ask yourself, "what am I doing this for?".

I have a business plan and most people that know me realize I’m not just talking about it I’m putting the “wheels in motion” to achieve my short and long term goals.

"I walk it like I talk it!"

I’ve mentioned in previous articles about right and wrong ways to start an online business from home. I want to elaborate on that by saying you must pay attention to how much you are actually working when running your business.

Its easy to get caught up in the moment when you start earning. If you are only in it to earn its fine to work until you drop but realize that you started your business for more free time and financial freedom. If your working all the time you have strayed away from your plan.

Your plan for home based business success needs to include leisure time. If you’re always online, tide to your cell, researching, fact finding, analyzing, etc then you have swapped one work schedule (or added) for another.

A business plan can include time tables that allow you to continue to enjoy life while starting and maintaining a successful business.

The goal is to work to initially work hard to build your home based business that will ultimately allow you to only work 2 to 3 hours a day, no weekends and 30-40 days (or more) vacation per year.

An online business that will draw income daily with minimal effort and calling your own shots is what financial and time freedom is all about. 

In closing I’d like to advise you of a well known fact:

The vast majority of successful at home businesses require dedication which means you are bound to fail in some aspect of it. Failure is how you will learn to win which in my eyes you only fail when you give up on your business and dreams of financial freedom.