You don’t need a business plan

I’m not sure if you saw it, but I released a new guide called Price Up Fast: How to Charge More and Get Paid More, Without Doing More. If you’re looking to raise your prices in the next few months, check it out!

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What I’m about to say might go against everything you’ve heard about running a business, but I feel like I need to say it anyway:

You don’t need to write a business plan.

Yes, SOME businesses need a business plan. And if you’re going to get a bank loan, or get investment in your scalable startup, then you’ll probably be asked to create one.

But for expertise-based service business like ours, we don’t need one. Because the business plan is as simple as it gets:

1. Offer a service
2. Get paid for said service
3. Repeat

With a business plan like this, there are three ways to grow your revenue: get more clients, raise your prices, or increase the number of times clients purchase from you. It’s straightforward and simple.

(There are advanced ways like licensing your methodology, but for most people in the first several years of their business, the three ways I’ve listed are the most common.)

So, why am I bringing this up? Because I’ve been talking to a lot of business owners who lament that they can’t grow their business because they don’t have a business plan.

And I tell each of them what I’m telling you: that you don’t need one. And more than that, you can certainly grow without one.

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The tricky thing about a business plan is that it FEELS like you’re moving the business forward. But you’re not.

It’s busywork. It’s as effective towards getting new clients as changing colors on your website, or fixing a typo in a blog post.

It doesn’t get you closer to clients, or potential revenue, or a new contract.

I’ve started, grown, and sold three businesses, and I’ve never had a business plan. Instead, I optimized my business towards what will make the biggest material impact (read: money): getting clients.

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The question to ask is, which would you rather have: a beautiful business plan, or five new paying clients?

Instead of writing a business plan, spend that time doing things that will actually get you closer to new clients:

• Send out 10 outreach emails to companies you want to work with.
• Email 10 people who might be able to refer you to others, and invite them to coffee.
• Follow up with 5 people who almost hired you, and see if they’re happy with the provider they went with.
• Write 5 social posts about how your work impacts your clients, then post one per day.

These are high-value activities that will actually get you closer to revenue.

Which of these activities can you do this week?

To your success,

Leah

1. Join the free Smart Gets Paid Group and connect with women entrepreneurs who are learning how to get clients too.

This is my new Facebook community where badass women like you learn how to get the clients they want, without feeling salesy. Click here to join.

 

2. Learn how to get new clients without feeling salesy, in 10 weeks

If getting new clients is on your to-do list, but you’re not sure where to start, I can help. You’ll learn step-by-step how to get the clients you want, without feeling salesy. And you’ll get the support you need to put learning into practice in your business.  Just reply to this email and put “Clients” in the subject line and I’ll get you the details.

 

3. Work with me privately


If you’d like to work directly with me to learn how to sell, get paid more, and get the clients you really want, just reply to this message and put “Private” in the subject line. Tell me a little about your business and what you’re struggling with when it comes to selling, and I’ll get you all the details.