ROAD MAP TO SUCCESS

So you have a kick-ass idea, and you are ready to go! What next? You need a plan. 

First, write it down. Put pen to paper and write out your ideas, goals, needs, and wants. If you're going to sell something, write out what you are selling, why you are selling, who you are selling to, and how you will sell to them—knowing your why and who are two of the essential pieces to your business backbone. You may have a great idea, but if you don’t understand why you want to sell/promote or give and don’t know who you want to sell to, you will be lost in clouds. 

*Bonus* A few questions to ask yourself, why am I starting this business? What do I hope to gain? Who am I helping? 

After you have your ideas and plans written out, you want to assess your tools. What do you need to get started? What will make you the most successful? What tools are a necessity for your business? I recommend researching the tools that others in your field or industry are using and read reviews. Join Facebook groups for folks in your industry, pick their brains, run a poll of the most recommended tools, and ask questions! I suggest groups like Marketing professionals, Shopify Professionals, E-commerce industry leaders, and finding leaders in each of those industries to connect. Do not be afraid to connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Clubhouse with a potential mentor. 

After assessing your tools and writing your thoughts down, it is time to create your action plan. In your action plan, you will want to make an overall goal with milestones to act as encouragement and analytics tools. After establishing goals, you will want to create markers for yourself, the action item, the objective, the who, and the deadline. Your action plan should be obvious and concise and give attainable and realistic deadlines. When crafting your plan, remember that this is for you. You want a solid business plan that you can follow and share with others. If you are reaching out to investors, map your plan into a PowerPoint or Google Slide Show. Make sure you are clear about your expectations, budget, potential losses, and time investment. 

Now that all of the puzzle pieces are in place, it is time to get going! ACTION!