My Virtual Sidekick | Management, Marketing & More | Raven Howard

Today is the start of two 30-DAY Challenges for me….One is a 30 day blogging challenge and the other is 30 days of physical inactivity.  As for the first challenge, I’ll be blogging on a daily basis for the month of April.

The second one wasn’t something I signed up for, but was the result of deciding to “just play” a physical sport.

The problem with this is…. I didn’t ♪ ease on down, ease on down, down the physical activity rooooad. ♫

In the past my physical activity has been broken down into two distinct periods. From August – February, I loafed around the house, counting my blessings that I don’t have to confront Old Man winter because I work from home and allowed my physical activity to go dormant. Then, when the first signs of spring arrived, I get Spring Fever and am compelled to get active. It is very much like clockwork!

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Every winter there is a shift in talk to business planning for the next year. You’re told NOW is the time to start thinking of what you want to do next year. You probably attend some teleseminar and  jot down some goals for next year and may even outline a marketing plan for your next big idea for a product or service you want to have out by next quarter. In some cases, that fills you up like mama’s turkey. You pat yourself on the back and move into another year of hasty planning and often times poor results.

If you think of your business journey like a runner there are two races for you to consider entering:

The 100m dash-Relying on your natural abilities you spend most of your time contemplating the start of the business. The “jump off” the block when the gun sounds. Then you frantically scramble the short distance to the finish line. Zoom and it’s over in a flash.

However, if you want to be in business for the long haul; then you’ll have to do much more than plan for the start. You’ll need to shift into a marathon runner’s mindset and create a concrete plan of performance across the track. There are miles upon miles of road up ahead that you must be ready for. You’ll need to understand the course completely and have your unique journey clearly mapped out so you can optimize your pace and run the race you WANT to run. You prepare your business for this race with a business plan.

A Business Plan is a living document that is broken down into sections that each covers a different aspect of your business. When woven together this document tells a winning business story.

On your mark….

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