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Writer's Block Corner

Who Owns Your Business?
--by Jan Wallen

We hear so much today about business plans and their importance. And I agree that a sound business plan is essential if you truly want to succeed in your home business.

However, I have been working on helping people develop business
plans for many years, and I see that most suggestions along this line fall short of what you really need to do.

To begin with, think about this question: "Why are you in business?"

Obviously each person will have a different answer, but the majority will fall into one of these very general categories – have more
money, have more time for ____________.

You fill in the blank.

It is my belief that if we begin from the beginning, we will first
work on our life plan. This is the foundation for your business
plan. When you know where you want to go in your life and what you want to do, then you can build a business plan that will help you get there.

Do you own your business, or does it own you? Many people begin a new business so they can be in control of their own lives, but
somewhere along the way they realize that they have become slaves to the business.

Working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week is not a life! How do you
strike a fair balance among all the competing priorities in your
life? First begin with your life plan. This will likely take you
several days to do initially, and then you will need to review it
periodically and frequently to keep it fresh and current.

At the end of your life, how do you want to be remembered? We
attended a funeral last week of a relatively young person. This tragic event turned into an occasion for remembering all the good
things that had come from this person's live. She left a legacy for
others to follow. And while many tears were shed, her memory lives on in the good she accomplished while she was here.

So, what is it you want most from life? What things are the most
important to you?

Once you are definite on this point, move on to the next question:
What do I need to do and be to have that kind of life? Do you need
more money? Do you need more time? Do you need both of those? How will you achieve that?

Writing down specific action steps and making a checklist is an
excellent way to help stay focused and on track. When you have to make one of those many decisions that face business owners every day, run the decision through this filter: Will this help me or distract me from having what I really want from life? When you answer this question, decisions immediately become much easier.

If possible, build in an accountability process. You do this with a
good friend, your spouse or perhaps a professional coach. You review your daily and /or weekly action steps with another person so that you have to tell someone what you really did or did not do.

Did you spend two hours last Tuesday playing solitaire on the
computer instead of making phone calls? Did you work Thursday
evening instead of attending your son's soccer game? Knowing that you will have to `fess up to the bad as well as celebrate the good in your daily actions is a tremendous motivator.

So, if you already have a business plan, pull it out and review it.
If you don't have one, get started on it today. Put your plan in
writing so you can review it regularly. Remember – you have a
choice: you can own your business or it can own you. It's your
decision!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jan Wallen is a Personal/Professional Coach who enjoys helping other people achieve their goals and maximize their potential. To subscribe to her success news letter, send a blank email to
sipowertips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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