Since starting this I often return to a point in time, that point in time is October 2008. We were busy with tenders for 34 million, we had just submitted our second "pencil sharpened" set of figures and had received encouraging news in that we were among the 4 short listed names to share the contract.
My fiance and I packed our bags and headed off to get married. At that point my plans were always based on the principal that maintaining a positive outlook, persevering, working hard and keeping an eye on the profit margins would ultimately lead to success and financial freedom.
Stick to it and you will come out better off. What the plan never covered was a global financial meltdown the likes of which have not been seen since the late 1930's. The events that unfolded over the following 24 to 36 months were often heartbreaking to watch and experience. We never saw a cent of the contracts that we had been bidding on, in fact the contract that did eventuate was less than 1/6 the size of its original intention. To make matters worse we ended up spending 5 months re issuing prices on that work only to be told at the bitter end that it would all go to one company and that that company would only receive the contract at the new size and at the client stipulated price?? (that price turned out to be a flat loser).
That was bad enough, what was really bad was watching another client close their doors at the end of January 2010. I stood and watched as 88 staff and employees were told that they were not going to be paid for...wait for it....October 2009, November 2009, December 2009 and that none of their overtime accumulated over that period of time would be paid out either. They had been promised, you see, that the company was only going through a minor setback and that all financial issues would be sorted out by January. Ever seen a grown man cry because he has used up all his reserve and the wife and kids are at home waiting with no food in the fridge? It is terrible.
So what happened? The truth is that many in positions of responsibility simply failed to plan. They failed to plan for the thing that everyone said would never come. In fact if you mentioned it you were "being negative", you were "scared" or just plain being stupid.
You need a plan. Today more so than ever. I am not talking about that 5 year plan that popular comics and media refer to. The plan I prefer to concentrate on for that duration of time is "the be flexible because technology changes everything plan". The plan you need to concentrate on is the plan to constantly make small contributing plans. Plan your interview, your savings, your consumption, your time, plan how you will deal with setbacks, plan what you think those setbacks will be and plan how to overcome them. Most of all plan to remain focused on success, whatever it may mean to you "plan to plan and work the plan".
To come back to the main story, sadly I had to close my business. Something that had been 16 years in the plan, was gone and it hurt. The lessons learned are priceless and have helped me to support others in their dreams of creating and building their own businesses.
You will find that in the end, planning equals peace and peace as they say leads to prosperity.
To your prosperity!
AL
For a custom plan for anything contact us at www.fiverr.com/bowzer
My fiance and I packed our bags and headed off to get married. At that point my plans were always based on the principal that maintaining a positive outlook, persevering, working hard and keeping an eye on the profit margins would ultimately lead to success and financial freedom.
Stick to it and you will come out better off. What the plan never covered was a global financial meltdown the likes of which have not been seen since the late 1930's. The events that unfolded over the following 24 to 36 months were often heartbreaking to watch and experience. We never saw a cent of the contracts that we had been bidding on, in fact the contract that did eventuate was less than 1/6 the size of its original intention. To make matters worse we ended up spending 5 months re issuing prices on that work only to be told at the bitter end that it would all go to one company and that that company would only receive the contract at the new size and at the client stipulated price?? (that price turned out to be a flat loser).
That was bad enough, what was really bad was watching another client close their doors at the end of January 2010. I stood and watched as 88 staff and employees were told that they were not going to be paid for...wait for it....October 2009, November 2009, December 2009 and that none of their overtime accumulated over that period of time would be paid out either. They had been promised, you see, that the company was only going through a minor setback and that all financial issues would be sorted out by January. Ever seen a grown man cry because he has used up all his reserve and the wife and kids are at home waiting with no food in the fridge? It is terrible.
So what happened? The truth is that many in positions of responsibility simply failed to plan. They failed to plan for the thing that everyone said would never come. In fact if you mentioned it you were "being negative", you were "scared" or just plain being stupid.
You need a plan. Today more so than ever. I am not talking about that 5 year plan that popular comics and media refer to. The plan I prefer to concentrate on for that duration of time is "the be flexible because technology changes everything plan". The plan you need to concentrate on is the plan to constantly make small contributing plans. Plan your interview, your savings, your consumption, your time, plan how you will deal with setbacks, plan what you think those setbacks will be and plan how to overcome them. Most of all plan to remain focused on success, whatever it may mean to you "plan to plan and work the plan".
To come back to the main story, sadly I had to close my business. Something that had been 16 years in the plan, was gone and it hurt. The lessons learned are priceless and have helped me to support others in their dreams of creating and building their own businesses.
You will find that in the end, planning equals peace and peace as they say leads to prosperity.
To your prosperity!
AL
For a custom plan for anything contact us at www.fiverr.com/bowzer
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