Did you do a business plan before you started your business?

I hear from many newbie wedding planners who ask me a ton of questions. And when I can, I help. But the first question I ask is if they did a business plan. The vast majority of them have told me "no" or that they weren't sure what a business plan was or that they sort of did one in their head but didn't actually write a complete one or any combination thereof.

There are very few successful businesses out there that don't have a WRITTEN business plan. And it's not something that can be done overnight. It takes long, hard thinking and research. In fact, it's the very first thing you have to do.

Most newbies put the cart before the horse. It's understandable because they're anxious to get started and want/need to make money. But if you don't have a plan to follow it's like going on a trip and not having the directions. You know your destination but you have no idea how to get there. That's what a business plan can help you do. It will be the road map for your business.

And a business plan isn't stagnant. It's constantly changing as situations change and when things go wrong (or right) you can go back to your plan and make adjustments. So using the trip analogy, if you come across a problem, the business plan will show you detours and other routes to take just like a road map will.

So the question is, do you have a true business plan? And if you don't, why don't you?