For example, you have to talk about the purpose of the business. For a yarn shop, that's easy, right? Clearly, the purpose is to sell yarn. End of story. But that doesn't make for good reading, so you have to come up with a plot, a very concise plot. Who, where, what, when, how, why, and how much. Who is the target market...um..fiber enthusiasts? Who are they? Women between the ages of 23 and 80? What about men? What about the amazing young girls (and boys) who knit? Where? I dunno...I don't have shop yet. Historic downtown Leesburg. What? Yarn. What kind? Yikes! There's a million types. How do I choose?! Ummm...how about natural fibers?
And that's answering questions about the stuff I think I know. Legal structure? Ummm...sole proprietorship or limited liability company? (I really like the limited liability part; I don't want to lose our retirement because someone who has a cat phobia was terrorized by the sleeping shop cat and sued the daylights out of me.) Financials: cash flow, break even analysis, balance sheet...yikes!
I knew that writing a business plan would not be easy. I did not anticipate writing five sentences in four hours. But thank goodness for the internet and Google. There's a ton of good information to be had.
There's another reason why I found the business plan to be rough going:
Needless to say, very little knitting and housecleaning was accomplished yesterday. The Christmas knitting is sitting, forlorn and neglected, in my workroom. The sock is getting slightly more attention, but spends the majority of its life confined in the dark recesses of the knitting bag. And so it will continue. The remainder of the day will be spent cleaning, laundering, grocery shopping and cooking.
Then, perhaps, I'll be able to knit (or write a business plan) with a clear mind.
6 comments:
You are very lucky to have an assistant who keeps you from working too hard! Balance is so very important in life and business! ;)
Hang in there. It will all come together and the planning stage can be fun even if it comes with a ridiculous amount of paperwork.
Awwww! Sweet little Emma loves your laptop so much!
And wow, I'm just so incredibly impressed about the whole yarn shop thing -- I think it's fantastic!
You need to sit down and have a good long knit-in and then get back to 'real life'.
The assistant looks really busy. And I can't wait until you are closer to actually having a store. I will definitely be visiting. Leesburg needs a yarn shop.
Good gravy! That is one cute kitty who is obviously a big fan of your work (or at least your workspace).
Here's to creating a spectacular business plan and yarn shop. Impressive!
Your new cat is adorable! What a sweetie! Not to mention good with the computer. And congratulations on your decision to go forward with the yarn shop. I look forward to hearing about your adventures and challenges!
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