What is a Nice Green Business Like You Doing Without a Plan?

Are you the owner of a green business? Or are you thinking of starting one? If so, then there’s something you know you need. You know how important it is to your business success. Unfortunately, you’ve also already heard how complex, time consuming, boring, and, quite frankly, not very green it is.

What am I talking about? A business plan.

What Is a Business Plan, and Why Do I Need One?

In brief, a business plan is a working document that strategically guides your business. Within each business plan are your operational and financial objectives and the plans and strategies that show how your objectives will be realized. While business plans are invaluable for obtaining financial support and backing, this should not be your main reason for creating one.

The most important reason to do a business plan is to clarify your thinking about your business. Whether you are just starting up as a one-person operation or already own a company with hundreds of employees, you need to be clear about where you are taking your business, what you are focusing on, and how you plan to get there.

A good business plan defines your business, identifies your goals, and serves as the compass for your business. A good business plan helps you allocate resources properly, enables you to make sound business decisions, and represents your best thinking about the future success of your business.

“Yeah, but it’s hard to know where the green economy is going, so what’s the point of writing one?” you begin. “I don’t really need one now. I’ll get around to doing a business plan once I see if my green idea is actually going to fly,” you rationalize. “Besides, they’re so darn complicated and expensive!”

It’s true. Business plans can be a pain in the butt to create. Most people would rather have a root canal than write a business plan. That is, until now.

The One Page Business Plan®

The One Page Business plan is the easiest, quickest, least stressful way I know to write a business plan. I've been using the One Page system for over two years with my clients and have heard nothing but high praise for and satisfaction with this jewel of a tool. Prior to that, I guided my clients through the tedious process of writing a traditional business plan, and it was like pulling teeth.

Then I discovered One Page Business Plans created by Jim Horan over at: www.onepagebusinessplans.com. This five-step process comes with interactive courseware and can be completed in just three weeks. It’s perfect for non-profits, small businesses, and large companies. Gone are the months of agonizing meetings, thousands of dollars in consultation fees, and reams of paper wasted producing documents, spreadsheets, and flowcharts.

Here, in the One Page Business Plan, is everything you need to collect your green business thoughts and put them into a concise, relevant plan — a plan that connects your passion to definable, achievable outcomes. And it’s perfect for the green community because it’s eco-friendly, time considerate, and success oriented.

A One Page Business Plan will help you to:

• Describe the vision for your business in one compelling sentence!

• Define your perfect clients and what you do for them in eight words or less!

• Develop a set of simple strategies that will guide the development of your business over the next 3 to 5 years.

• Define and prioritize your business, dividing projects into bite-sized chunks.

• Define success so that it is measurable and graphable.

So, what’s a nice green company like you doing without a business plan? The One Page Business Plan is cost effective, time saving, and beneficial to your company. What excuse could you possibly have to avoid writing one? Whether you are a new or established small business owner, committing your ideas to paper is one of the quintessential ingredients to ensure your future business success.