Plan for Success Greenville NC

A football team wouldn't walk on the field without a game plan. Why would you run your shop without a business plan?

By Hank Nunn
2/9/2009 3:17:46 PM


I’ve got my business plan right here!

That’s the most common response I get when I ask body shop owners where they keep their business plans. Of course, the comment is made while they’re pointing to their heads.

All too frequently, business planning is done only occasionally, usually while driving to and from work. The idea of writing a business plan seems like a good idea, but just never seems to get to the top of the “to-do” list. We think about creating a business plan. We seem to know that we need one. But the task seems too big and too complicated, and there always seems to be something more important or enjoyable to do, like watching TV or fishing.

Most shop owners who do complete a business plan do so in order to get a loan from a bank insured through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA business plan format is the most commonly accepted format used today. Want to build or buy a building? Part of the application process is to complete an SBA business plan.  

The SBA business plan is a great one. Unfortunately, however, once we’ve obtained the loan, that business plan is put in a drawer at the bank and filed away, never to be seen again. It may have helped get the loan, but it cannot help you run your business, respond to a changing market an...