Copyright: Pixaby
Yesterday, in my haste to get the kids to daycare and off to my first appointment of the day (after we all woke up late), I ran the side of my mini van into the side of our garage.
That’s right. I had an accident in my own garage.
Now, after you stop laughing at me, let me tell you what I learned (besides the fact that it’s crazy stressful to get myself and four kids out the door on time and that even if our oldest is 6, he’s still not going to tell me the van door is open when we’re backing out of the garage).
Moving too quick and without a plan is expensive.
I feel like we learn this lesson quickly in our personal lives, but when it comes to business, for some reason, I see it taking longer for folks to let it sink in. There’s this need to move quickly and DO something even if you don’t have a full plan in place.
So after I took the rest of the day to calm down from the stupid, expensive wreck I caused, I spent some time finalizing details on some of Allée’s summer projects. If I wasn’t going to be successful on the home front, I could at least put my efforts elsewhere (while sitting, safely, at my desk).
And how interesting that one such project happened to be the launch of our B4: Small Business Workshops series. Do you know what the theme of the first workshop in this series is?
Planning.
It happens to the best of us (though we don’t always like to admit it) and many times, it even happens with good intentions. We move too quick, we get excited about a project and don’t think things through. We start telling others about an event we’re super excited about only to have it fall through the cracks because we lost track of time. We start the year off running in our companies without a plan or goals in place. The trick is knowing when to stop and assess what you’re doing.
Enter the B4: Business Planning Workshop
As the first in our series of four workshops, the B4: Planning workshop is for anyone who gets stuck when making plans for their own business. I’m talking about people who:
- Are thinking about starting a business
- Have been operating a business without a business plan (or an outdated plan)
- Are looking for tips and strategies to set goals and monitor business growth
- Are looking for the latest and greatest in business planning techniques and tools
- Want to get ahead of the game for 2012 planning
- Just have a need to feel organized (and avoid costly accidents)
We’re kicking off the B4: Small Business Workshops in Albertville starting on August 9 (additional locations to follow in 2012). Trust me, you don’t want to move without a plan. And hey, why not get your planning tools together so you’re all set to go, ahead of the game for 2012? I’m all about hands-on learning, so not only will we feed you breakfast (most important meal of the day!) but you’ll also get a business planning workbook. Although I can’t guarantee it will include a section on how to successfully make it out the door each morning in a calm state.
Unfortunately, I can’t turn back time and double-check that my van door was shut before I gunned it out of the garage. But you can sure bet I’ll never let that mistake happen again. It serves as a great reminder to all of us: there’s never a bad time to double-check or tweak your plan–be it in business or otherwise. And if you are moving without a plan, I suggest you stop and think about what you’re doing.
Need help with that? Join us on August 9.
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