Plan, Prepare, Prosper: The Problem

Allow me to introduce you to Glitch #143 in our "Biz Glitch: Make Good Mistakes" project on the blockchain. There are 366 of them. This one is a bonus and separate from the 7 you can grab in this post.

This glitch encompasses 5 of 21 categories in the project: Culture, Business Operations, Grow Your Business, Mindset, Outsourcing

❓How much time do you spend planning and preparing for almost anything that requires your attention in business?

This is a vague, ambiguous, and subjective question, which is understandable given the severe deficit in attention we face in today's massive attention economy.

There’s so much that goes into running a business that requires the activity of planning and preparing.

Allow me to add context to this.

We put “Plan, Prepare, Prosper” on the homepage of our website way back in 2018 when we started the financing brokerage.

Yes, it worked out that I also love alliterations; that was a bonus.

When Trevor & I started our business financing brokerage, we quickly discovered that many business owners, the ones that were contacting us anyway, struggled to understand the process of financing via banks and lenders.

❌ Their books were a mess.
❌ Their files were a mess.
❌ Their approach was a mess.

There was no semblance of order. All of our clients (except one) didn’t have a business plan or marketing plan to show their plan for progress and ultimately success.

This stalled the process. In other words, there was no progress due to no planning or preparation for a complicated financing process.

There’s a reason people have businesses and stay in business. They solve problems for people who have strengths and skills in other areas.

We can’t be good at everything.

🎯 Goal: Determine where you may be lacking in the area of your business that requires planning and preparation. Does it prompt feelings of extreme uncertainty and doubt with how to approach that task?

GOOD! That’s a start.

✅ Maybe it’s cash flow management.
✅ Maybe it’s sales and/or marketing campaigns.
✅ Maybe it’s customer service activities.
✅ Maybe it’s legal contracts and insurance reviews.

🚧 Actionable Item: Choose how you ask for help.

These items have proven successful for others in the same position:

💥 Take an online course or attend workshops. This is for the highly self-disciplined.
💥 Hire a consultant if accountability is more your jam!
💥 Find a mentor or coach to help identify strengths and weaknesses, develop a plan to improve,and stay on track.
💥 Delegate tasks to free up time so you can focus on areas where you need to improve.
💥 Set realistic goals on different parts of the process of developing a plan.
💥 Chunk down large tasks into smaller steps to make it less daunting and more manageable.
💥 Create a schedule and stick to it (that’s the hard part.)
💥 However, don’t forget to take breaks to avoid burnout and to stay fresh.
💥 Reward yourself when you achieve various targets. This will remind you how awesome you are.

We need evidence of success to mitigate impostor syndrome.