Plan for a backup, in case things happen

By Sam Maropis • September 8th, 2009

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I am a big believer in backups; I always have believed that you need backup batteries, backup lighter, backup credit cards, and backup keys, but the one thing you must have as a small business owner is a backup plan. Not a plan B, but rather a backup for your marketing plan, or better said a plan that is greater than a one-page plan. Let me explain, years ago, when I started my printing company I had figured that I needed two areas of focus to be profitable. Call these niches or segments to sell my products. But before I actually started, I forced myself to come up with five different segments to sell my products in. and let me say it was very painful to come up with these five.

Not that I couldn’t but from a mental point of view, I wanted to just rush off to the next thing to do rather than develop five solid segments to market to. Starting a business is so involved, and it is easy to just run off down the highway and miss a very important step. Well anyway. I forced myself to come up with these five, and let me say I had to come up with ten or more and then think them through in detail and then I landed on five.

Well as you can guess, I started the company and launched with my two segments. Well then the war happened, our country came to a stand still, everyone was glued to CNN. They were not thinking of me….

So as the world seems to unravel around me, I went from the top two segments to the third, and then to the fourth and finally to the fifth. Well it was segment four and five that kept my business going. And I some day wonder if I had not thought of all of those ideas what would I have done, would I have been so stressed that I may have missed them. Who knows.

I say all of this because all to often I talk to a person who wants to start a new business and they build their business on just one idea, one product, or one group of customer to sell to. Now if your good idea is so unique and great then good for you, you may be able to do it. But for the rest of us, it takes lots of planning. Force yourself to come up with a number of different customer segments, or different products or different ways of doing things. This level of detail will payoff.

If you need help thinking your business through, give us a call. But let me just add this word of warning, if you think that your business is so hot or special, before you actually talk to someone, get them to sign a non-disclosure agreement. This way you know what side your team is on.