What NOT To Do When Writing A Business Plan

          About 10 years ago, I embarked on the social journey of “Speak on It” forums.  It was birthed through a telephone conversation with a close friend.  I just didn’t think men and women communicated enough. I didn’t think that people had many other options to be sociable other than clubs or bars.  I didn’t think that people networked enough. 

          So, I came up with this idea for a forum to do all of those things.  To my surprise, the forums were a success.  Word spread about it and new people came every month.  I became passionate about it.  I dedicated the time to perfect it—to make it more business-like.  Because of its success, I broadened my horizons.  I thought about conferences—keynote speakers—bigger prizes—better marketing.    But all of those things required money—something I didn’t have.   I had to write a business plan.  

          I wanted to find out what a great business plan entails.  Then, I ran across an article in the Wall Street Journal titled ‘Why Business Plans Don’t Deliver’.  This article mentions that many business plans go straight in the garbage once they present red flags.  You may ask, “But, what are those red flags?”  Well, I’ll tell you! 

·      Don’t boast about what you’re selling and not back it up.  This shows that you haven’t taken the time to research.

·       Don’t make speculations about its success if you don’t know.  This shows that you don’t know who your target market is.

·       Don’t overload the investors with all numbers.  This shows that you’re trying to convince too much without providing meaningful research.

·       Don’t sell the team, sell the product.  This shows that you haven’t explored the challenges that may arise.

·       Don’t fake perfection.  This shows that you think your plan has no room for improvement—and all new businesses do.

          After reading this, I started to think about my business plan for ‘Speak on It’.  I needed to prove why men and women don’t communicate.  I needed to show the lack of social activities and networking opportunities in this city.  I needed to show provide examples of ventures similar to ‘Speak in It’ that were successful.  I needed to express my aspirations and maintain my humility.  I needed to expose my competition.  I had a lot of work to do—but knowing how go about it was a great start.

Thinking Is Writing

                Let’s talk about communication and how it relates to writing. 

            They say men are from Mars and women are from Venus.  They say that the young folks think differently than the older folks.  The fact is that different people have different thought processes –and when you have different thought processes, conversations are received in different ways.

            Here’s one scenario.

A few years ago, I watched Oprah Winfrey: LifeClass.  In this show, Oprah discussed how men and women communicate differently.  According to her and her guest, Iyanla Vanzant, men speak in headlines and women speak in fine print.  Oprah provided an example about her boyfriend.  One day, he returned home after golfing with his buddies.  Nonchalantly, he informed Oprah that his friend’s wife left him for another woman.  That’s all he said—and then he moved on.  Baffled by the ‘headline’, Oprah started to ask questions.  Who did she leave him for?  When did this happen?  Is he okay?  Stedman didn’t supply the answers and she couldn’t understand it.  How could someone hear something so devastating and not follow it up with questions?  They say that’s just the way men converse.  I’m not sure about the truth of this.  However, I can say that I’ve observed this when communicating with the opposite sex. 

            Here’s another scenario—a more business-related one.

A member of upper management is a stickler for numbers.  Just saying that business is better isn’t enough.  You need examples.  Providing numbers show the ‘how much’ rather than the statement of ‘it was done.’  It’s more believable—more precise.

Another previous manager was a stickler for proof statements.  Just saying that business is better isn’t enough.  You need examples.  Providing statements of success show specifically what happened to show that business is better.  It’s more believable in another way—it shows accomplishment.

            I thought about both of these scenarios after reading an article the other day titled ‘Does Your Business Audience Have a Split Personality’.  In this article, it talks about how business writing should consist of business and personal benefits.  The business side will do the convincing and emphasize how this change can improve things.  The personal side will impact a person’s individual feelings.  The personal side is where you consider your audience and how they will receive you.  Are they male or female?  What’s their age group?  How will this change impact them on a personal level?