Sample Snippets
The Turning Point
The more Business Plans I became involved in, the more and more I understood how to make a successful business and for that matter, how to have a successful life. The more and more I studied the principles and practical application of Business Plans, the more I realized how appropriate the process was for individuals as well as businesses.
If you look at the fundamentals of what a Business Plan is, you see that it simply comprises:
How simple is that?
Yet surprisingly, very few small businesses actually operate with the benefit of a Business Plan – which may account for the alarming statistic that approximately 80% of small businesses fail within the first five years of operation. Franchised small businesses have a better statistical survival rate due to the fact that proven systems and procedures (including Business Plans) are in place.
If you look at the fundamentals of what a Business Plan is, you see that it simply comprises:
- A business analysis to see where the business is at present.
- The setting of goals to see what you want the business to achieve.
- The determination of ways and measures to achieve those goals.
How simple is that?
Yet surprisingly, very few small businesses actually operate with the benefit of a Business Plan – which may account for the alarming statistic that approximately 80% of small businesses fail within the first five years of operation. Franchised small businesses have a better statistical survival rate due to the fact that proven systems and procedures (including Business Plans) are in place.
If I Can Do It, So Can You
Let me tell you how I developed mine. It didn’t happen straight away: it wasn’t as if, the moment I saw the Lamborghini at my friend’s place, I had a sudden revelation; a moment of insight like Saint Paul on the road to Damascus. It was nothing like that. In fact it’s only looking back now that I realize that seeing the Lambo was the inciting incident or trigger for me to step onto a new path. But it took some time for me to accept that I was on a path. All that happened when I saw the picture of the car was that I said to a few people around me, “One day, I’m going to have that car.” Of course, it was a stupid thing to say – especially out loud. Everyone there laughed at me and said, “In your dreams, Bruce.”
Mind Power And Visualization
For instance, if at some time in the past someone told us, or we suggested to ourselves, that we are ugly or incapable of love or too stupid to make money, then our subconscious will have accepted it without question. That belief will then have become part of our world and will create our view on life and pretty soon, as the belief percolates down into our subconscious, we will have stopped thinking about it and will have come to accept it as true. This is how so many of our behaviors and reactions become habitual. We don’t think about them because our subconscious ‘crew’ works with them without question.
Think about when you learned to drive. At first it took a lot of conscious effort but after years of driving you just do it. You don’t think about it anymore.
Think about when you learned to drive. At first it took a lot of conscious effort but after years of driving you just do it. You don’t think about it anymore.
Skite And you Will Lose It
I can’t exactly remember when I was introduced to the word skite, but I can remember who introduced it to me. This man, who was very dear my heart, was my grandfather, Harry Butler. He used to say it regularly. His saying ‘skite and you’ll lose it,’ is where I got the name for this chapter heading. I can remember vividly where I heard him say it for the first time. My grandfather, my father, my cousin Peter, and I were out fishing. Peter was a bit of a larrikin and he would push the boundaries a bit while fishing with my grandfather. My grandfather was a very keen and serious fisherman. I can remember when he would take what seemed like hours to position the boat so we were in the right spot to catch fish. It used to make us laugh when my father would say, “come on dad (Harry), let’s get the bloody lines in the water”.
Peter and I would keel over laughing, while I knew my grandfather would be biting his bottom lip. We would eventually get our lines in the water. On this particular occasion Peter hooked a fish very quickly. It wasn’t a bad fish, maybe two pounds or so, but nothing to get excited over. All of a sudden, Peter was messing around and pretending it was a marlin he was reeling in. We could hear all the grunts and groans and commentary about catching this huge fish.
Then, the words of wisdom came out of my grandfather’s mouth. “Peter, skite and you’ll lose it.” But Peter continued to play this pretend marlin with all his antics and we heard again, “Peter, skite and you’ll lose it”.
So what happened next was…yes, you guessed it…Peter did lose the fish. Harry reprimanded him, saying “the humble man always wins”. At our age, that didn’t mean anything to my cousin and me.
Peter and I would keel over laughing, while I knew my grandfather would be biting his bottom lip. We would eventually get our lines in the water. On this particular occasion Peter hooked a fish very quickly. It wasn’t a bad fish, maybe two pounds or so, but nothing to get excited over. All of a sudden, Peter was messing around and pretending it was a marlin he was reeling in. We could hear all the grunts and groans and commentary about catching this huge fish.
Then, the words of wisdom came out of my grandfather’s mouth. “Peter, skite and you’ll lose it.” But Peter continued to play this pretend marlin with all his antics and we heard again, “Peter, skite and you’ll lose it”.
So what happened next was…yes, you guessed it…Peter did lose the fish. Harry reprimanded him, saying “the humble man always wins”. At our age, that didn’t mean anything to my cousin and me.