My Christmas Gift - Round 2 is posted. All in round 1 should read

Because even though I'm making some money affiliate marketing, I want to run a business as opposed to a bunch of websites that I update and work on at random.

I want to be able to look at a business plan and know where the gaps are in my business, where the work needs to emphasised and where and when to reinvest money into my business with a strategy and purpose.

And I want to be mega successful and that rarely happens without a plan!

...I can grovel if you need me to Bev!

...Plus, I got a cute 6 year old!

...Plus, I'm a fellow writer published offline: tv, novel, stage, radio etc...

@Bev,

OK, I'll bite.

Because writing's in my blood but my pen's dripping sweat...

For extra groveling points - I've been to Ynys Mon at Xmas time :-)

I thought you were going to bed!!!

Why should i have a plan written out for me?

Well i started up on this forum about 5 or 6 months ago have worked my A$$ off but still no more then 1-5 dollars a day. I mean i did once have a 45 dollar day but that was a fluke. I am a senior in high school right now and am in the process of applying to colleges. I would really like to have 5,000 dollars by next August / September so i have some spending money in college.

I have tried affiliate marketing written dozens of articles but still only 5 sales over the last 6 months. Right now i am making most of my money off of google adsense but i really dont think its going to make me 5,000 by next September.

Also it would be really cool to show my parents that im making some decent money online.

Thanks Bev for the opportunity,

Eric

I'm too sexy for your business plan

Steven Wagenheim has already got hundreds of business plans - what's he going to do with another one?

Martin

And me

I need one too lol

Seriously, I'm already working with Bev on a business plan. I started with one several years ago, but its now hopelessly outdated so I need another one

I'm a big believer in business planning, and I'm going to be making a lot of changes to my online business in 2009.

I would suggest if you don't win this competition, you invest in one anyway. Remember you sometimes have to spend money to make it!

Cheers
Kim

For those wondering what the real value of a business plan is, let me give
you my 2 cents on the subject as to what the importance of one is to me.

This may not necessarily apply to everybody.

To me the importance of a business plan is the following:

1. It forces you to focus on a direct path to follow to achieve a specific goal.

2. It provides you with a clear visual of your projected expenses and income.

3. It provides you with a broad overview of each component of your business,
so that you can easily track where you are with it.

4. It allows you to see where some of your ideas may not be panning out
as well as others so that, in looking at the overall picture, you can make
pinpoint modifications with groping on the dark and without screwing up
something that is working.

5. It allows you to map out a wide and/or deep product or service line
and coordinate everything so that the one seamlessly blends into the
other.

If a lot of this sounds cryptic, it's because this is actually easier to
illustrate with a chart. I actually have one that shows all my modules,
what they are, what they connect to, how the relate to the overall
picture, where the income is coming from, where the expenses are going
and so on.

This is why I can come here and say things like X% of my income comes
from Y source.

With a business plan, you become a total fanatic on tracking things.

Plus, and this may be the most important thing of all, it forces you to look
years ahead. My current business plan is forecast into 2010. When I see
how 2009 goes (already completely mapped out) I will know where I will
be going in 2011.

Naturally things happen and markets change, and sometimes you have to
make adjustments. A business plan makes it easier to make those
adjustments because you always see what you're doing and what it's
bringing you.

By doing this, I was able to save myself $200 a month in wasted expenses
starting this December. I will now be planning on how to replace that
expense with a more profitable way of spending it. This will be adapted
into my existing business plan to improve it...not to change it.

Business planning, believe it or not, is fun, especially when you come up
with a clearly defined goal and direction. You can almost predict how much
money you're going to make. Last month, looking at my business plan,
which included my plans for December of this year, I estimated that I'd
not only have my best month ever, I'd come close to 20K for the month.

How close am I?

I am currently at $18,594.22

Considering that my best month ever prior to this was just under $15,000,
that's not far off from my prediction...and I still have a week left to hit
my goal.

Believe me when I say this...not having a business plan is a recipe for not
having the most profitable business.

Before I had one I was making $50,000 a year.

This year, I already broke $150,000.

So you tell me if a business plan makes a difference or not.

Bev, if I haven't already said this, this is very generous of you.

I hope the person who gets this gift appreciates it and does something
with it.

Merry Christmas.

Oh Les will you give it a rest already...cheese and crackers.

Yes it is $997 for a plan but it is far more than just a plan. I won't say anything more here, because it isn't relevant at the moment

Because I helped fellow warrior Jacqueline Watson
by giving her my business!

Colin McFawns

Hi Bev,

Happy Holidays and thank you for the opportunity for one lucky
and deserving Warrior.

This coming year is a little different for me and extremely important
that I succeed with my IM business.

I have been a member of the Warrior Forum since 2002 and even
part of the family before the forum was actually a forum. Over
the years I have tried different systems and various techniques
and found some of them work well and some not well at all.

One thing I really didn't have in this time period was a well
defined plan. I just went from one thing to another until something
clicked and rode it out until it stopped working. So far I haven't
found one thing that has worked consistently over the long haul.

I also used IM as a way to gather leads for my offline "day job"
in the mortgage business. My main focus was always the day job
and not fully the IM scene, though I never stop studying and
researching what is going on in the IM world, hoping one day
by IM business would take off and relieve me from my 9-5 job.
I know now that having no game plan in place makes the dream
of working for my self online an uphill battle.

In late August 2007, I walked in to my job one morning and I
was called into the bosses office. Without any advance notice,
my position was eliminated. I worked for one of the largest
mortgage banks in America and they decided to shut down the
office
and put us on the streets so to speak. This was the start to
the huge mortgage meltdown crisis that is still going on today.

At that time I didn't quite realize that the banking industry
was in a world of hurt beyond my imagination so I took a few
months off and figured I would get back into the mix in the new
year. I also though it would be a great time to focus my full
effort to the IM world again.

When reality started to set in and I realized that all mortgage
companies were in trouble and the housing market was turning
upside down my mind turned to mush and I just couldn't concentrate
on IM or anything for that matter. So again, my lack of having
a dedicated plan forced me back to a "not so good" day job.

This job was still in the mortgage industry, but it was crappy
work at even crappier wages. In November 2008 I took a few days
off to have a reality check on my life. It was then that I made
my choice to stop working for someone else and devote my time
and energy into building my online business. On my calendar
at work I wrote "The End" on December 31st, signifying my last
day working for "The Man".

Over the last few weeks I have started to organize my thoughts
on paper and my goals for the 2009 (and beyond) year. I have
read a few great tips/reports/guides posted here on the Warrior
form to try and help put a plan in place. I fact, the last 2
days I have been reading the post that you answered: "I would
tell them to start by writing a business plan and to make sure
they have a sustainable business and not just a 5 minute wonder."
(Yes I was going over this during the Holidays).

I am attempting to write my own business plan, however never
doing this before, I am not 100% sure I am doing it right. There
is always a fear that I create a plan and not create it the proper
way and it won't work. I guess one always has to take a chance
in order to succeed, but it is still scary. Especially now that
I have no other choice than to make it. I have no day job to
pay the bills.

Having an expert in creating business plans on my side would
be a huge benefit and help put my mind at ease and allow me to
put more focus into acting on and executing the plan that is
created.

Best wishes and thanks again,
Greg Schueler

Because I get very lazy sometimes... and I need a super kick in the butt.

Thanks Bev...

You know I want to move the the US, and for that I really need a lot of money. Yes, I'd be moving in as an investor and yes, I'm a hardworker. Without a proper business plan, it all fails. I can't put anything into implementation.

I have this goal... move to the US by June, 2009. I'd need a home over there. I already have real estate assets worth around $100K... All earned through some consultancy, Physics coaching and some thorugh IM sales.

As you see, I have a goal, I also have a plan of action. I don't know if its a business plan or not, but it is most cretainly a plan of action. It would definitely help a great deal if a B-Plan expert like you could just have a look at the plan and give a few suggestions.

And I am not only WILLING to work and work hard on it, But I am ANYWAYS GOING TO work very hard on it.

So please take my application into consideration... Please.. (Begging)...PLEASE
-Lakshay

New Delhi is just the same... With much more population, development, flyovers etc. than ever. When waas was it when you did come over here? There has been a rise in the number of malls ... Steep rise. PLUS the all new Delhi Metro.. I'm not sure if that was in operation when you came here last.

Which area was it where you stayed?

has a winner been picked?