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I like the title, reminding entrepreneurs that the plan wasn't created to just seek financing, and then let it collect dust. I've seen it happen many times, as the business owner gets involved with the day-to-day activities and totally forgets all the things that they envisioned to make the business successful in the beginning.

A couple of hundred years ago, when I was younger, I made some money by buying into struggling businesses, turning them around, and then selling them back to the original owners for a reasonable profit. I did it more for friends, not so much for the money, and as a hobby. It kept my mind fresh, I thought. I don't do it, now, but what I learned along the way was interesting.

One of the first things I did when I looked at the struggling business was the original business plan. It was always in some back drawer and hadn't been opened in years. We read it together and the owners would always say something like, "You know, I'd forgotten that we were going to," or, "We never did manage to."

There are two things to remember about a business plan: "Use it," and "It's not engraved in stone."

Any good business plan is always being adjusted to fit the marketplace and the circumstances. There was never a perfect plan, so don't use it to your disadvantage, but use it to stay on task. Let's say you start a wholesale florist supply, and the original plan was to market to your state and the four connected states. You need three sales people to cover the territory, but hiring and training sales people in the areas you originally intended to market is keeping you from working your area well.. You now need to adjust the plan, and concentrate your efforts where you can accomplish the most and maximize your profit, but don't forget that the original plan was for a five-state area. Do both, adjust and stay on task.

That business is still in business, and is now supplying a ten-state area, but it was a lot of work to get it there.

My best suggestion of how to keep on task is to do an annual review of results, and compare it to the original plan, to see how close or far from the original plan you are. Pick one thing on which to concentrate your efforts, print it in large letters, and put it where you can see it to be constantly reminded that you need to work on that particular area of your plan, constantly. When it has become reality, pick another part and do the same.

I've known of business consultants suggesting always keeping the plan on your desk. I disagree. I do suggest that you have it somewhere handy, but never on your desk. You have today's business on your desk, and nothing else. Put your reminder where you notice it, at all times, but not your desk.

Stay on task, review your results, adjust as you go, and know where you and your plan are at all times. If it was easy, all businesses would succeed. Make sure you are one of the successes, not the failures, by making and following a good plan. Don't let the cleaning person be more familiar with it than you are. It shouldn't need to be dusted.

Learn more about this author, Will Kester.
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