Do you have a business plan? Congratulations, but you’re in a small minority. And if you have a plan, it is an integral part of your business, and contributed to its growth? If the answer is yes, then you need not read further. However, most business owners who actually go to the trouble to write a business plan have left languishing on the bottom shelf, gathering dust! It’s the dirty little secret of business consultants.

Most consultants are only interested in selling their time or their “business plan in a box”, but know that for a business plan to be useful, it must be part of a management system the company. But there is a proposal much more difficult for the consultant to sell, especially for small business owners who are merely seeking a quick solution. Thus, most consultants only sell a quick fix solution-a business plan that they know in a few months, end up at the bottom shelf. Once the owners have prepared their “fill in the blanks” plan, they expect to transform their businesses to Only a day after its mere existence. And because this is not the case, they never watch again.

Action plans to do a job, but you have to make them work. This is not a one-off exercise. If you buy a “business plan in a box,” you must understand that you are responsible for maintaining the plan. You will also need to ensure that the product you buy is not only fill in the blanks products. These plans always end up on the bottom shelf. They do not show you how to do strategic analysis (which is never a fill in the blanks in the exercise, no matter what someone tells you).

From business planning is a real soul search exercise for the business owner. You must be brutally honest with yourself. Even if you prepare your plan yourself (without a coach) for someone else involved to keep you honest! Looking for examples of what others have done can help, but your company has different strengths and weaknesses and work in another market. And finally, make sure any off-the-shelf product you choose to show you how to implement your plan in your business.

When you use a consultant, they insist that show you how the plan should be implemented in your business processes. And have the consultant give you at least an evaluation of your performance against your plan six months after the plan was delivered. Although this will cost extra, it is sure that your plan does not stop on the plateau down because you know, you’ll be held accountable!

From business planning is not an easy process. It takes time and commitment. You do not do it just once. This is not what business owners want to hear, and that most consultants will not tell you because it could cost them a sale. But the benefits of implementation and business plan are repeatedly the value of your investment.