Comments on: Don’t be afraid to change your business plan, some plans don’t make sense http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/ For People Pursuing Freedom Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:48:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: jpdmom http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-10378 jpdmom Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:12:03 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-10378 Just found your blog and what a great, well-written article. I too run a small business and things have had to be altered to fit in with our life. We originally (me that is) thought we could run it out of our garage, but with manufacturing, shipping and making tiles the business took over our home. We now rent space as close by as possible, but rent is a killer, really hurts us. Now in our 4th year in business, with one year under our belt paying for office space it feels like only being in business a year. Slow and steady wins the race I always say. Do consider reading the book by Lisa hammond "Dream Big". Best of luck! Just found your blog and what a great, well-written article. I too run a small business and things have had to be altered to fit in with our life. We originally (me that is) thought we could run it out of our garage, but with manufacturing, shipping and making tiles the business took over our home. We now rent space as close by as possible, but rent is a killer, really hurts us. Now in our 4th year in business, with one year under our belt paying for office space it feels like only being in business a year. Slow and steady wins the race I always say. Do consider reading the book by Lisa hammond “Dream Big”. Best of luck!

]]> By: Christine http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-3547 Christine Sat, 30 Dec 2006 03:47:33 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-3547 Tomas: I am keeping the bookstore wish in the back of my head but I get so obsessed with things I need to change my obsession. I get so “up” and then so “down” it’s draining. Thanks for the links – I am really considering setting up my own e-commerce site so I can get more regular customers and have more independence from eBay and Amazon and set myself apart. Good to Great is on my bookshelf :) Steve has read it but I haven’t yet. As for blogging, I always have these great ideas but I find it hard to sit down and write. I spend so much time on the computer already working with my books. Josh: I agree with your win/win/win. There is so little risk with internet retail. You buy something, it doesn’t sell, oh well, sell it off at cost and try something new. Tomas: I am keeping the bookstore wish in the back of my head but I get so obsessed with things I need to change my obsession. I get so “up” and then so “down” it’s draining. Thanks for the links – I am really considering setting up my own e-commerce site so I can get more regular customers and have more independence from eBay and Amazon and set myself apart.

Good to Great is on my bookshelf :) Steve has read it but I haven’t yet.

As for blogging, I always have these great ideas but I find it hard to sit down and write. I spend so much time on the computer already working with my books.

Josh: I agree with your win/win/win. There is so little risk with internet retail. You buy something, it doesn’t sell, oh well, sell it off at cost and try something new.

]]> By: Josh http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-3452 Josh Wed, 27 Dec 2006 20:58:17 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-3452 I had a dream to move to Atlanta and expand my real estate business. When I did, everything failed in a perfectly unexplainable way. I was thankful for the opportunity and began to look elsewhere for new ones. I got more ideas, and way more profitable business ideas from my failure than I ever would have if my plan had worked to perfection. Sometimes our plans seem right to us, but as it turns out there was a better opportunity we just weren't looking at. I like the idea of an internet store over a brick and mortar because you have #1 a global customer base, #2 very little startup costs, and #3 your monthly expenses are far less. It's a win/win/win! Best of luck to you, and keep us up to date with how it goes! I had a dream to move to Atlanta and expand my real estate business. When I did, everything failed in a perfectly unexplainable way. I was thankful for the opportunity and began to look elsewhere for new ones.

I got more ideas, and way more profitable business ideas from my failure than I ever would have if my plan had worked to perfection.

Sometimes our plans seem right to us, but as it turns out there was a better opportunity we just weren’t looking at.

I like the idea of an internet store over a brick and mortar because you have #1 a global customer base, #2 very little startup costs, and #3 your monthly expenses are far less. It’s a win/win/win!

Best of luck to you, and keep us up to date with how it goes!

]]> By: TOMAS http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-3449 TOMAS Wed, 27 Dec 2006 18:14:59 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-3449 I would have to say that there's nothing wrong with having a <em>Big Hairy Audacious Goal</em> (BHAG) to shoot for, and in your case Christine, that would be to have an actual retail bookstore where you could stack your books on nice wooden shelving (or bamboo to help the environment :) ), chit chat with patrons, and have a staff comprised of knowledgeable book people. Maybe changing your business plan in the short term and exclusively selling online might be one step that will eventually enable you to have your physical bookstore. So be sure to at least keep the idea in the back of your head, or write it down somewhere if you haven't done so already because you never know what opportunities may come down the line to make your dreams a reality. In the meantime, I would suggest blogging and writing more often in order to become less of an online mystery and help you connect with other people online who share you love of books (you might also want to check out <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/" rel="nofollow">Shelfari</a> as a way of finding fellow book lovers and also help promote your site). Also, you might look into making your online bookstore a little more personal and exclusive by switching to a service like <a href="http://shopify.com/" rel="nofollow">Shopify</a> or creating your own personal e-commerce site. Anyway, it's just a suggestion. Oh and BTW, you might want to add Jim Collins' "Good to Great" to your reading list, it's a good read! I would have to say that there’s nothing wrong with having a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) to shoot for, and in your case Christine, that would be to have an actual retail bookstore where you could stack your books on nice wooden shelving (or bamboo to help the environment :) ), chit chat with patrons, and have a staff comprised of knowledgeable book people. Maybe changing your business plan in the short term and exclusively selling online might be one step that will eventually enable you to have your physical bookstore. So be sure to at least keep the idea in the back of your head, or write it down somewhere if you haven’t done so already because you never know what opportunities may come down the line to make your dreams a reality.

In the meantime, I would suggest blogging and writing more often in order to become less of an online mystery and help you connect with other people online who share you love of books (you might also want to check out Shelfari as a way of finding fellow book lovers and also help promote your site). Also, you might look into making your online bookstore a little more personal and exclusive by switching to a service like Shopify or creating your own personal e-commerce site.

Anyway, it’s just a suggestion. Oh and BTW, you might want to add Jim Collins’ “Good to Great” to your reading list, it’s a good read!

]]> By: Soni http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-3276 Soni Sun, 24 Dec 2006 01:58:21 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-to-change-your-business-plan-some-plans-don%e2%80%99t-make-sense/#comment-3276 The nature of the global market is changing everybody's viewpoint of what "a business" looks like, these days. I think it won't be too long before the notion of having a brick and mortar in order to have a business will seem as old-fashioned to us as the concept of joining a guild and working for 7 years as an apprentice in order to legally qualify to work on your own does now. Besides, from what I'm reading in your post, it seems to me that the books are the dream. The rest is just infrastructure. The nature of the global market is changing everybody’s viewpoint of what “a business” looks like, these days. I think it won’t be too long before the notion of having a brick and mortar in order to have a business will seem as old-fashioned to us as the concept of joining a guild and working for 7 years as an apprentice in order to legally qualify to work on your own does now.

Besides, from what I’m reading in your post, it seems to me that the books are the dream. The rest is just infrastructure.

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