Entrepreneurial Business Plan The Down And Dirty Way

Does the idea of running your own business sound exciting? Do you have a business up and running and want to take it to the next level?

After coaching hundreds of entrepreneurs at various stages of their evolution, I've found that the answers to these 5 questions can make or break any endeavor. Of course there are lots of other areas that must be addressed, however these will get you moving in the right direction quickly.

Shhh, don't tell anyone. Once you have these answers, you've created a basic and relatively painless (dare I say it?) Down and Dirty Business Plan?.

Are you ready? Go for it!

1. What problem do you solve?

You MUST begin here. If you don't know what problem you solve, you don't have a snowball's chance. What real need do your potential customers/clients have that isn't be fully addressed yet? Where's their pain?

2. For whom do you solve it? or What is your niche?

In today's economy, the best (many say the only) way to market your goods or services is to be very specific about targeting your potential customers. You can locate them, they can find you, and others can refer to you. This is scary for most entrepreneurs because it means saying "No" to some people. Let it go. It works!

3. Who's your competition?

It's time to become a stealth researcher. Who else is doing anything like what you're doing? What's their niche? How do they market? What do they charge? How long have they been in business? How are they unique?

4. How will you market your business?

Study your competition. What's working for them? Model their success. Improve it. Think outside the box. Where does your niche hang out? Will you network, place ads in local papers, or do some PR? How about using Google pay per clicks?

5. Why you?

Why will your potential customers go to you instead of the competition? What makes you uniquely qualified to solve their problem(s)? Is there a specific solution you have that they don't? Can you be more cost effective and/or efficient? Is your service unparalleled? If you don't know why they'd choose you, your market won't know why either!

So there you have it - your Down and Dirty Business Plan?. Feel free to revisit your answers and tweak them as you take in new information and experiences.

Take care of business and remember to have fun! Suz

Since 1992, Suzan Fiskin has loved being a Master Coach for ADD-ish entrepreneurs (and most entrepreneurs are ADD-ish!) as well as a motivational speaker http://www.motivationalspeaker.com She served on the Boards of the Forum of Women Entrepreneurs, Association of Women in Technology and the Professional Coaches and Mentors Association. She has a free online assessment, bi-weekly teleconference calls and a number of other resources for ADD-ish entrepreneurs on her website http://www.ADD-ish.com

In The News:


HYSTA Celebrates an Outstanding 2008 Annual Conference, Incredible ...
MarketWatch - Oct 10, 2008
I am proud to say HYSTA continues to serve the international business community in our mission to promote entrepreneurialism and career development among ...

AgentShield.com selected as Finalist for ITFlorida's Innovation ...
PR Web (press release), WA - Oct 4, 2008
Agent Shield, Inc. has been recognized as one of only four finalist statewide for the "Innovation and Entrepreneurialism Award" in the annual ITFlorida ...

A salute to our newspaper carriers
Telegraph-Journal, Canada - Oct 11, 2008
The image of the young, bright-eyed newspaper carrier is iconic - an emblem of eager entrepreneurialism as recognizable today as it was a century ago. ...
Graham: Delivering newspapers is a great way to build a career Kings County Record
Carried away Times and Transcript
all 4 news articles

A study on entrepreneurialism shows the field is not just for men.
UM Maneater, MO - Oct 2, 2008
"Entrepreneurialism is definitely viewed as having masculine characteristics such as aggressiveness, especially with today's economy," freshman business ...

Peers cheer WSU entrepreneurship center
Kansas.com, KS - Oct 10, 2008
The center offers student education, trains entrepreneurs already in the community and does research on entrepreneurialism. The center has three full-time ...

Ottawa Citizen

Tory Guy Lauzon tops thin slate
Ottawa Citizen,  Canada - 48 minutes ago
... depth of experience is less than the Liberal and Tory while her party's platform is a long way from the private entrepreneurialism needed in the riding. ...

bbg allies with arab business angels network
Al-Bawaba, Jordan - Sep 27, 2008
“Through our alliance with ABAN, we continue to support the growth of entrepreneurialism, innovation and local knowledge creation. ...

Gerber and Mone reiterate the secrets to success
CityWire.co.uk, UK - Oct 9, 2008
By Colin McClelland | 09:30:00 | 09 October 2008 Author Michael Gerber said he had an epiphany 35 years ago that entrepreneurialism was a myth and the ...

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice ...
Times Online, UK - Oct 11, 2008
... of a profoundly awkward young man whose precocious entrepreneurialism in a variety of money-making schemes had made him a taxpayer by the age of 14. ...

Sarkozy calls for global crisis summit
Financial Times, UK - Sep 29, 2008
... but he has spoken several times of the need to encourage productive entrepreneurialism and to deter destructive “financial speculation”. ...
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