Writing A Professional Business Plan

November 30, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Alice In Wonderland

In Carroll Lewis’ fable, Alice In Wonderland, Alice finds herself lost and asks the Cheshire Cat this question, “Can you tell me please which way I should walk?” To which the Cheshire Cat responds, “Well, it depends on where you want to get to.” Thinking upon his comment, Alice states, “I guess it really doesn’t matter much.” “Then,” Cheshire Cat responds, “it doesn’t really matter much…which way you walk.”

Although this little excerpt from Alice In Wonderland is only an illustrated scene from a fable, many business professionals actually lead their professional lives and their businesses with the same approach as Alice – not knowing which way they should walk and no professional business plan to help them get there. To help business leaders and professionals avoid the tragic consequences of wandering in the business marketplace without any real direction, the following Professional Business Planning template will provide excellent guidance in the preparation of a written professional business plan that contains five critical elements for success in business: Purpose, Vision, Core Values, Team Values, and Strategic Objectives.

A.     The 1st Critical Element of Success in Business is Defining the PURPOSE of Your Business

Purpose is the unequivocal reason why your business exists.

Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

To help you reflect upon the God-ordained purpose of your business and define it in written terms, please answer each of the questions below:

1)      What would happen if your business ceased to exist?

2)      Why is it important for your company to continue to exist?

3)      If you had enough money to retire tomorrow, would you still continue working for your business? If so, why?

Considering your answers to the questions above and reflecting on the statements below about purpose, write down the purpose for your business that is worth your very best efforts to bring God glory and benefit others:

  •  Your purpose is your God-ordained reason for existing in the business world
  • Your purpose reflects the God-ordained reason for doing your work
  • Your purpose captures the soul of your values and beliefs in God expressed through your business
  • Your purpose answers the question, “Whom do I exist to serve, with what, and why?”

B.      The 2nd Critical Element of Success in Business is Having a VISION of Your Business Future

Vision is the mental picture of the preferred future for your business.

Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.”

Thinking about the preferred future for your business, in each of the 4 areas below describe what you would like your business to be and become in 10 or 20 years?

  • Finances
  • People
  • Operations
  • Service

C.      The 3rd Critical Element of Success in Business is Defining the CORE VALUES of Your Business

Core Values are the uncompromising convictions and beliefs that your business stands for in the community.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

What are the 3 to 5 convictions you have about your business that you are unwilling to change no matter what as you build your business for the glory of God and the benefit of others?

D.     The 4th Critical Element of Success in Business is Communicating the TEAM VALUES Within Your Business

Team values are the undeniable convictions and beliefs that and you and your team members stand for in your business.

Philippians 2:14-15 “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”

What are the 7 to 10 undeniable convictions that you have about your team that you are unwilling to change no matter what as you build your team for the glory of God and the benefit of others? If you have read The Make It Happen Journey, you may be encouraged to build your team with the 9 Make It Happen Team Values defined in the book.

E.      The 5th Critical Element of Success in Business is Developing the STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES of Your Business

Strategic objectives are the compelling ambitions of your business that clearly meet the following criteria:

  • Big Holy Awesome Goals
  • Unifying Points of Teamwork
  • Catalytic Components for Activating Team Spirit
  • Directed Towards Achieving Greatness In God as a Team
  • SMART (Specific, Measureable, Action-Oriented, Results-Oriented, Time-Oriented)

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

What are the 5 to 7 compelling ambitions of your company that will inspire your team members to achieve greatness together and accomplish God’s purpose for your business in the next 2 to 3 years?

Have a blessed ”Make It Happen” day!

Writing A Professional Business Plan Copyright 2012, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint Writing A Professional Business Plan, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Related Resources:

1)      Coachwell Article: Strategy Part One – Strategy Formation

2)      Coachwell Article: Strategy Part Two – Strategy Function

3)      Coachwell Article: Strategy Part Three – Strategy Execution

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The Make It Happen Moment ® Irresistible Idea

August 23, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , , Leave a comment

ideas

Image by Sean MacEntee via Flickr

Quote: “God’s vision – His big idea – is Heaven coming to Earth!” – Myles Munroe

Sitting in an executive meeting with our CEO one afternoon, he shared a delightful aspect of his vision for the kind of culture he desired for our leadership team to create in our healthcare organization. “We need to create the kind of company that says ‘hi’ to one another,” he emphasized.  “If we can’t do the simple things really well, like warmly greeting each other, then how can we expect to do the really big things well, like saving people’s lives?”  As I left that meeting, I knew that our CEO was right.  We needed to begin engaging our culture in a way that would infect it with such common courtesy and kindness towards others that our organization would be irresistibly different.  So I went back to my own leadership team to enlist their support for such straightforward culture changing action.

In my management meeting, I declared, “Our CEO says that we need to create a company that says ‘hi’ to one another. I agree with him.”  A leader sitting across the table from me responded, “Hum, you tell 50 percent of the people ‘hi’ in this building and they won’t tell you ‘hi’ back!”  Astonished, I questioned him, “You mean to tell me that you can tell 50 percent of the people ‘hi’ in this building and they won’t tell you ‘hi’ back?”  And the young lady sitting next to me says, “Yeah, and one of them is you…”  Totally surprised, I responded, “Me??”  With everyone laughing at this point, she says, “Yeah, I’m in the elevator with you all the time and you hardly even know I’m there.”  Laughing with the others, I genuinely plea to her, “Well, I don’t want to be like that, so please don’t let me do that again.” And so it was through that honest feedback that I began to sincerely change, becoming respectfully conscious of others, and warmly greeting them with a simple, courteous,  kind – “Hi, good morning, good afternoon” – greeting.

Do you know that God has the same kind of delightful vision for His kingdom…on earth?  He desires for His people to do the simple things of the kingdom really well and by doing so, infect the popular culture on earth with the irresistible culture of His kingdom as it is in heaven.  Matthew 25:37-40 states, “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”  So then, I believe the Lord has the same kind of question of His people on earth as my CEO had of our leadership team.  How can we do the big things of the kingdom really well, like winning souls, if we don’t spend the time to do the little things really well, like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners, giving drink to the thirsty, providing shelter for the homeless, and even saying “hi” to one another?  With a spirit of commitment and generosity, let us diligently seek to change the earth and its cultures by doing the simple things of the kingdom really well – simply loving others as ourselves!

The Make It Happen Service Enthusiasm Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Service Enthusiasts!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Irresistible Idea Copyright 2009, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Irresistible Idea, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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The Make It Happen Journey Chapter 1 and 2

August 18, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Peek Inside My Books , , , , , , Leave a comment

Chapter 1: The Corporate Mindless Robot Factory

Have you ever worked for a company where people, most commonly referred to as “employees,” merely follow instructions dictated by their bosses? In such companies, the working environment is often reduced to a factory of mindless robots that becomes devoid of vision, values, creativity, and innovation. Not surprisingly, performance stagnates and becomes mediocre. And it is simply because the corporate leadership has failed to provide the people inside the company with an environment that inspires them to do more than just their job descriptions and what their bosses tell them to do. Unfortunately, this kind of environment is far too common in corporate America. However, there is a way for people with courage to make a difference and change the corporate mindless robot factory into a corporate Make It Happen adventure land. But to do it, one must embark upon the…Make It Happen Journey.

On the Make It Happen Journey, positive attitudes reign supreme and optimism abounds. Vision is the motivating force behind every action. Service enthusiasm is the only acceptable mode of operation. High expectations define the standards of excellence. Innovation and calculated risk-taking are the fuel that powers adventure. Bold planning provides the road map to every treasure. Performance measurements are always used to light the paths. Exciting celebrations are orchestrated for every accomplishment. And lastly, people are the catalysts that make all of it happen. As the journey progresses, people are transformed from mere mindless robot employees into Make It Happen people with passion and zeal for the services and products they create. The Make It Happen Journey is an adventure where only leaders with courage and a strong desire to make a difference should enter, because once you do, there is no way out and no turning back!

Helen Keller stated, “Life is an adventure, or nothing at all.”1 If Helen Keller, in her deafness and blindness, could approach all of the challenges and adversities in her life with such a positive attitude and turn life into an adventure, then a leader in corporate America, with enough vision and capability to evaluate and assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of their business environment, most definitely ought to be able to turn work life into an adventure for themselves and their team. If not, perhaps the leader does not fully appreciate the value that his or her company brings to life. A leader who is blind in this fashion unfortunately does not fully understand the difference he or she can make in the lives of customers and, more importantly, the lives of team members. As a result, work for them and for their people sadly becomes nothing more than just a job and a paycheck.

Leaders who fully appreciate the services and products their companies create know their work is so much more than just a job with a paycheck. Leaders who believe in their company and themselves take their work and their leadership responsibility so seriously that they consistently bring commitment, enthusiasm, and passion to work. With such leadership qualities, they have the ability and potential to create an exciting adventure for their teams by maximizing strengths, minimizing weaknesses, exploiting opportunities, and diminishing threats within their internal as well as external business environments. And when leaders combine commitment, enthusiasm, and passion with a set of universal Make It Happen Team Values, they can create a Make It Happen adventure in their company that could last a lifetime.

So, read on, and learn how you, too, can create a Make It Happen adventure for your team with a culture of empowerment that unleashes each person’s extraordinary God-given potential to make a difference in life. With a spirit of wisdom and excellence, you can play a pivotal role in revolutionizing the way business is done both in your company and the next generation of business leaders, through the Make It Happen Team Values shared in this book.

Chapter 2: The Make It Happen Adventure Begins

The Make It Happen Journey begins with a person who possesses an aptitude for leadership, growth, and development, who travels their life journey with character, and who serves others with passion and commitment. A person who decides to embark upon the Make It Happen Journey and the adventures beyond must transform himself or herself from being just an employee, manager, or executive by choosing to embrace their leadership responsibilities with a positive Make It Happen attitude and possessing a leadership vision inspired by Make It Happen Team Values.

Generally speaking, anyone in an organization can choose to lead their team on the Make It Happen Journey as a Chief Make It Happen Leader as long as they are respected as a leader with a positive attitude and possess a strong desire to make a positive difference in the lives of people. Additionally, a Chief Make It Happen Leader—also known as a CMIHL—must wholeheartedly believe in, foster, support, and live Make It Happen Team Values each and every day as the leader of their respective team.

William Ouchi, in his book, Theory Z, states, “That small spark of desire to change typically comes from a key person who cares sufficiently about the organization to invest the time, energy, and risk in taking leadership. A manager who chooses to lead his or her department, division, or company in a new direction can produce sufficient trust and sufficient incentive for change to sustain the process for some period, perhaps a year. If during this period, some signs of progress can be discerned by the followers, then the process of change will become self sustaining.”1 Leading a team as a Chief Make It Happen Leader is all about a personal desire to move an organization in a new positive direction. To do so, a Chief Make It Happen Leader must have the personal commitment and fortitude to persevere long enough for the people on the team to begin truly believing in Make It Happen Team Values such that the journey, with all its adventure, becomes self-perpetuating. This takes a significant investment in time, energy, and leadership because belief in Make It Happen Team Values can only grow at the pace of one person, one encounter at a time.

Please leave a comment below and share these 2 FREE chapters of The Make It Happen Journey with your friends and colleagues! Many thanks and blessings!

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The Make It Happen Journey by Gary Borgstede

Published by Excel Books

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This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary English, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Design Director: Bill Johnson

Cover design by: Justin Evans

Copyright © 2010 by Gary Borgstede

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010926535

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-61638-168-4

First Edition 10 11 12 13 14 — 987654321

Printed in the United States of America

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The Make It Happen Moment ® Plan For Results

June 27, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , , Leave a comment

Alice In Wonderland

Where you want to get to?

Quote: “Information is the difference between your present and your future!” – Dr. Mike Murdock

So where are you and your team headed this year?  It’s a good question you must answer if you are going to get there.  Consider the following excerpt from Alice in Wonderland:

“Would you tell me please which way I ought to walk from here,” said Alice.

“Well that depends a great deal on where you want to get to,” said Cheshire Cat.

“I don’t much care where,” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk,” said Cheshire Cat.

As leaders guiding our teams, we must know what we are trying to achieve or accomplish before we ask the question of how to accomplish it.  Once we have answered the question of what, the answer of how can be determined.  Otherwise, the advice of Cheshire Cat rings true; it doesn’t really matter what you do to get where you are going because any direction will get you there.   After you have spent appropriate time strategically planning your goals for each year, you will be well equipped to complete the tactical plans for achieving each goal, fully understanding that the purpose of nuts and bolts planning is simply to produce the results you desire.  Time spent planning today is not time wasted, it is time invested in your future.  To get closer to the future waiting for you, follow the command found in Habakkuk 2:2, “Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run who reads it.”  Without the vision written down, it will be extremely difficult for you or your team to see it accomplished. 

Again, I ask the question, what do you want to accomplish this year?  More specifically, what has God put in your heart to accomplish this year?  In prayerful meditation, ask God to reveal His plans for you in each area of life.  Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  With a spirit of commitment and excellence, diligently invest time planning for the future God has in mind for you and boldly pursue the plan believing in Him to deliver the results!

The Make It Happen Professionalism Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Professionals!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Plan For Results Copyright 2005, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Plan For Results, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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