I invite you to answer each question below, and then we’ll look at a very simple answer to each one of these questions.
- Are you allowing worry to take over each time you have a decision to make for your business?
- Do you have a way to shift and try again when things go sideways?
- Are you listening to too many gurus out there all telling you different ways to run your business?
- Are you trying to attain something that always seems just out of reach?
If you said yes to any of these questions, I want to invite you to keep reading as we look at a very simple answer to each one of these questions – Your Simple Business Plan. And how by understanding and using a simple business plan, I mean one page, you can monetize your genius in the way God designed.
Prefer video? Watch on YouTube instead.
Elements of a Simple Business Plan
What are the elements of a simple business plan? Here are the things you need to know.
- The problem you solve and who (specifically) you solve it for
- Your solution and the unique way you solve the problem
- The unfair advantage you have, the thing you do in your business that is hard to copy
- Who is already following you, and how are you reaching your potential clients
- What will you use to measure how your business is doing
- Who else is in your space, solving this problem in a different way
- Understanding your costs and sources of income
How do you find out each of these things? First, by doing the work it takes to look at who you are, God’s design of you, and creating a business that has you working in your genius zone (so to speak).
When you are confident you know each of these parts of your business, you can monetize your genius and not feel like you are doing something that has no meaning and is not helping others the way you want. You are no longer worried because you have a plan for every aspect of your business, and you can move forward with that confidence, God-fidence.
Let’s go over those questions I asked you at the beginning of this post.
Does worry take over your decision-making?
Are you allowing worry to take over each time you have the decision to make for your business?
Let me ask further. . .
What role does worry play in your business decisions? Are you afraid you will make the wrong choice when presented with an opportunity? Do you sometimes feel stuck because you don’t know which direction to go?
The biggest thing I see with my clients when they are stuck in worry about making the wrong move is that they are not specific enough with who they are serving and how they are serving them.
I know you want to be all things to all people, but you cannot. That is a recipe for disaster. First, you want to be known for that specific thing you help others solve. Then, you want to be known for solving that problem in a way that no one else has thought of.
Think about it this way. Who is your client, what problem are they having, how many ways have they tried to solve this problem, what is bringing them to the edge (their crisis point), and what do they need that will take them over the edge to jump into your solution?
I have found that the worry comes from trying to be diversified. You are trying to solve too many problems for those you want to serve and not focusing on the one thing you do BEST. The thing that lies in your design, in your genius.
What is your reaction when things are not what you planned?
Do you have a way to shift and try again when things go sideways?
If I were to dig deeper here, I would ask. . .
What do you do when the results are not what you planned? How do you keep moving forward in your business after a disappointment? What do you do when things are not working out?
Let’s talk about the feeling first. Of course, you can feel disappointed, resentful, and frustrated when things are not going your way. But, unfortunately, these emotions blind you to any good that might be down inside the experience.
I am huge on reframing a situation and trying to see past the result and see the process instead of shutting down and procrastinating on the next move, shifting, and keep trying new things. It is a matter of try-adjust-try again thinking and doing.
Your unique solution
The business plan helps here because it is a snapshot of what you are doing and how you want to do it. Your solution is unique to you, and your unfair advantage, your intellectual property, that no one else has come up with, can help you shift and rethink a new approach.
Many times though, I find women trying to do things that others have told them to work for them. But, they are grasping at a methodology that is not aligned with their initial plans, so of course, it does not work.
You have to know your competition, but you are not trying to copy them. When something does not work out the way you planned, it is good to go back to your business plan and review the research on your competition. Get all your ideas from what you can know, not what you think you do.
Knowing your uniqueness is the key to creating strategies that will work for you. Don’t be distracted or led away from who God has designed you to be. Be open to the try-adjust-try-again mindset for proper growth.
Do you have shiny object syndrome?
Are you listening to too many gurus out there all telling you different ways to run your business?
I can also ask. . .
Do you have shiny object syndrome? Are you always finding and following the new method of business? Does the next idea excite you and distract you?
You cut off what God has put inside your heart when you listen to too many people. This, again, comes back to the basic information about who you are, who you want to serve, how you can best serve them, and what is important to you.
When you are focused on what is important to you, your key metrics become your guiding beacon to how you are doing in your business. No matter what anyone tells you, you know how you want to measure your success.
Knowing your cost structures protects you from those who say you need to have all the bells and whistles to have a business. Deciding on your revenue stream, not deviating or diversifying, saves you frustration from trying to do it someone else’s way.
These may seem like basic things you should think through when you are in business, but you would be surprised at how many people go into business “by the seat of their pants” and think it will just work.
Taking the time to dive into, think through, and make concrete decisions really does give you a map for success.
Are you doing too much?
Are you trying to attain something that always seems just out of reach?
I can add to that. . .
Are you doing too much? Does your life have too many disjointed pieces? Is your business just something you do and not who you ARE?
What do you want others to say about you? Your business plan reflects who you are and how God has purposed you right now. You are doing one of the “good things” He planned for you.
Your simple business plan
Once it is written, all you have to do is start living it out, and that’s what you will be known for. When something feels or seems out of reach, it really means you are trying to do it in a way that is not authentic to you – you are trying to be someone else.
Your business plan is a written document of how you want to be viewed because it contains all the pieces of you. No two people can look the same. Similar, yes, exact, no.
Blue ocean strategy
Do you know about the Blue Ocean strategy? It’s a method of thought that looks at business through the lens of innovation—creating markets within uncontested markets.
Your unique way of solving the problem, creative methods, and specific ideal clients are all ways you rise above the ‘Red Ocean’ (blood in the water competition) to the Blue Ocean of originality and genius.
Get clarity on how God designed you.
So how do you get to the point where you know how to complete a business plan? First, you must get clarity on God’s design of you, clarity around who He is asking you to serve, and clarity to understand what He is asking you to do in your business.
That means taking time to work through, pray through, and make the right decisions based on what God calls you to do. Calling Clarity helps you create a business and a business plan that takes away worry because it allows you to have a solid strategy that utilizes and monetizes your genius.
I’d love to chat about how Calling Clarity can help you. So please make an appointment today to find out how we can work together to create your perfect business.
Let me tell you what I am striving for others to say about me. . .
DeneenTB is a bible believing/following coach that teaches godly principles to keep you aligned with Christ while preparing you to step into all God is calling you to be.
What can I help you write? Who is God calling you to be?
Let me know in the comments if you are excited to get over the worry and monetize your genius. Also, I would love to know what questions I addressed specifically for you in this blog.
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