|
06.09.05
Business Plans- What Consultants Don’t Tell You!
 By
Dr Greg Chapman
Do you have a Business Plan? Congratulations, but you are in
a small minority. And if you have a plan, is it integral to
your business, and instrumental to its growth?
If the answer to this question is yes, then you need to read
no further. However, most business owners who actually go
to the trouble to write a business plan have left it languishing
on their bottom shelf, gathering dust! This is the dirty little
secret of business consultants.
Most business consultants are only interested in selling
their time or their ‘Business Plan in a Box' but know
that for a business plan to be useful, it has to be part of
a Business Management System. But this is a much harder proposition
for the consultant to sell, particularly to small business
owners who are just looking for a quick fix. So most consultants
just sell a quick fix solution- a business plan that they
know will, within months, end up on the bottom shelf. Once
owners have prepared their "fill in the blanks"
plan, they expect it to transform their business overnight
just by its mere existence. And because this does not happen,
they never look at it again.
Business Plans do work, but you have to make them work. It
is not a one-off exercise. If you buy a ‘Business Plan
in a Box', you need to understand that you are responsible
for maintaining the plan. You also need to satisfy yourself
that the product you buy is not just a fill in the blanks
product. These plans always end up on the bottom shelf. They
don't show you how to do your strategic analysis (which is
never a fill in the blanks exercise- no matter what someone
tells you).
Business Planning is a real soul searching exercise for the
business owner. You have to be brutally honest with yourself.
Even if you prepare your plan yourself (without a coach),
get someone else involved to keep you honest! Looking at examples
of what others have done can help, but your business will
have different strengths and weaknesses and will operate in
a different marketplace. And lastly, make sure any off-the-shelf
product you choose will show you how to implement your plan
into your business.
When you use a consultant, insist that they show you how
the plan should be implemented into your business process.
And have the consultant give you at least one review of your
performance against your plan six months after the plan has
been delivered. While this will cost you extra, this will
ensure that your plan does not end up on the bottom shelf-
because you know you will be held to account!
Business Planning is not an easy process. It takes time and
commitment. You don't just do it once. This is not what business
owners want to hear, and what most consultants won't tell
you, because it might cost them a sale. But the rewards from
a well implemented business plan are worth many times your
investment.
About the Author:
Dr Greg Chapman assists small to medium sized businesses with
business planning, business systems and marketing strategy.
To find out how you can Multiply Your Profits & Make Your
Business Run without You, and to find out How Good Your Business
Really Is with a Free Online Business Medical, go to Empower
Business Solutions website at: http://www.empowersolutions.com.au |
