But truth be told, success seldom comes as quickly as expected … if it comes at all. In almost every case, you must go through a long and often painful process of testing and tweaking your business concept. You will generally find that the concept you finally settle on often bears little resemblance to what you had in mind when you first opened your doors. You will find that it takes a lot of experimentation to develop an approach around which you can build a successful business.

In my career as a turn-around artist and mentor to small business owners, I have seen a lot of good business ideas come and go. Lengthy business plans seem to have little or no correlation with success or failure. I have seen business owners invest hundreds of hours in developing intricate and thorough business plans, only to discover that reality is quickly heading in another direction.

Once written, the carefully crafted plan gets put on a dusty shelf and is eventually discarded while the business owner reacts to the reality of changing market forces. I have found that most business owners seldom refer back to their business plan. Because the world changes so quickly around us, a new reality has already left the business plan far behind within just a month or two. Most business owners discover that it takes entirely too much work to keep the plan up to date and relevant.

So why bother! So, if no one benefits from a business plan, why do we continue to do it?

The answer is that most business owners don't bother unless they need financial help. Only then will they work through the tedious process. But the business plan is more for the investors or bankers benefit than it is for the owner. I have seen many eloquent business plans that were designed just for the purpose of securing financial support. The plan was designed more to sell the possibility for a safe and promising return on investment.

The business plan was created because the banker said that they want to see one. Why? I have met few bankers or investors that have based their loan agreement or denial on much more than the executive summary and the financial projections. That is because they cannot justify the time required to read and critique an in-depth business plan just to make the size of loan needed by the typical small or medium-sized business. The truth of the matter appears to be that if you have a long and carefully crafted business plan, then the banker feels that you have done your homework and are a better candidate for a loan.

The banker or investor often do not know enough about a particular industry or opportunity to know whether the assumptions made are valid or realistic. In far too many cases, the projections I have seen were closer to pipe dreams than they were to the reality that subsequently unfolded. This happens even when entrepreneurs create three sets of forecasts: worst-case, probable, and stretch. What really happens is still far from the image printed in the business plan. So, is there a better way? The answer is short and sweet. Yes!

To succeed in business, you must first get the concept down and then you can begin building up your business over time. You need to follow the same process with every business, unless you get lucky, in which case you will probably draw the wrong conclusions and make some colossal errors later.

In developing your start-up or expansion business plan, there are three stages you must pass through and a very special way of doing it. It is a process that I call "blueprinting."

A. Strategic Blueprint

Every homebuilder begins with a set of blueprints. It is a simple and easy to read outline of key design elements and where they are located in the big picture. Every business should begin with a similar blueprint. Your strategic blueprint should contain the following elements … on no more than a single page of stationery.

1) Your mission - Create a single sentence that reminds you why you started your business and what difference will you make in the world around you.

2) Your vision - Briefly articulate your basic method for achieving your vision.

3) Your niche - State clearly who your target customer is. If necessary, briefly explain why you selected them instead of another potential market group. There is only one thing you should be thinking about during the start-up or operation of any business. That is the opportunity to build a customer base that will make the business viable. It must be able to sustain itself on its own internally generated cash flow. First, you must determine exactly what kind of customers will give you such a base and then prepare a compelling offer that will draw them in. Thereafter, you must focus relentlessly on building that target base.

4) Your Promise - Explain why your target customers (niche) would choose to do business with you over your competitors. In effect, what is your advantage?

5) Your Philosophy - Create a statement about the kind of company you will run. What will your culture and values be?

6) Your Plans - Write down the key measurable objectives that will evaluate your business success. Focus on the 3-4 elements that you expect to achieve in the coming 12 months and then 1-3 elements that might take longer (i.e. 3-5 years).

B. Tactical Blueprint

After the Strategic Blueprint page, you should create a Tactical Blueprint and Calendar. The Tactical Blueprint page summarizes in point form how you will go about acquiring new customers and keeping the ones you have. It will also clarify where you will spend money and why. Every business begins as a puzzle. Unless the pieces just happen to fall into place (a rare experience), you need to spend an extended period of time identifying the pieces and putting them together in a way that creates a meaningful image. The only way to do that is through experimentation and letting the market give you the answer. You must find a business formula that you can use to build a solid base of repeat customers. Once you have outlined the key tactical elements, put them on a month-by-month calendar (1-2 pages) for easy review and adjustment.

C. Manage The Cash

Every new and expanding business has a limited amount of money to work with. The key is to make it last long enough for you to get through the "proving process." Too many entrepreneurs start out with big plans and develop emotional comfort with the expenses they see as necessary to achieve their dream. That is what killed so many "dot com" companies … their expenses were not in line with the "proving process." It is always wiser to spend behind the growth curve than ahead of it. History has proven that it is always better to be catching up with sales than paring back resources in crisis mode. To manage the cash, create a 12-month cash flow plan (one page) showing anticipated revenues and expenses and how you will manage the expenses in relation to the revenues that actually develop.

D. Stick With What Works

There is a risk to the tinkering process. If you keep changing too many things, then your marketplace gets confused. The key to your success is building a loyal customer base. Any changes you make should be focused on that objective. Too many entrepreneurs become bored with repetition and often begin to make changes just to push away their boredom. That is what kills a good business. Although you may be bored with certain elements, it is that reliability and consistency that keeps your customers coming back. You need to stay with your ship and see how far it goes.

Why does business blueprinting work better? Because of their nature, most entrepreneurs have trouble maintaining focus. They see opportunity everywhere and tend to forget that there are two limited resources … time and money. You cannot afford to waste either one at any time. When growth opportunities present themselves, both resources are often stretched to the limit. By creating a business blueprint instead of a lengthy business plan, you will find it easier to keep your focus and adjust to inevitable market shifts without losing your way.