Urgency Flow

I’ve said many times that what really matters in business planning is the planning, not just the plan. This time around I’d like to go into more detail about that moment of truth when you’re working your plan, time has passed, but the plan is out of synch with reality. What do you do then?

Just asking this question means you’re already on the right track. You can’t get to this point without having done several things right: Read more

This article was originally written by Tim Berry and published on entrepreneur.com

Wikis have been around for a while, but their application to individual business needs seems to be growing. Not only are wikis a great way to collect information, but they also allow for easier collaboration, version tracking and file management – all vital features for any type of client project or team-based work. Plus, there are many more uses that may be less obvious.

Why Use A Wiki?

While there are certainly some great, feature-heavy and flexible project management tools out there, a good wiki (that’s set up well for the specific use) can compete with the best of them.

Some of the biggest benefits of using a wiki include:

Wikis are like a blank sheet of paper that you can fold, arrange and format in a way that suits you best. Most wikis, because they don’t have the structure of a project management tool, have a very low learning curve. Read more

This article was originally published on sitepoint.com and written by Alyssa Gregory

Entrepreneurs typically have a passion for the business they’ve created. With the economy down, many business owners are facing tough decisions about how to keep their business afloat until sales improve. What would you be willing to do? For instance, would you liquidate personal assets to keep your business alive?

A recent study shows more small-business owners are contemplating doing just that — dipping into their own funds to keep their business going. The Discover Small Business Watch survey of 750 small-business owners found nearly two-thirds–61 percent–of owners thought it likely they would tap into personal assets to stay afloat within the next year.

Forty percent said it was “very likely” they would use their own cash, while another 21 percent said it was “somewhat likely.” These owners mostly don’t plan to hit up friends and family, either–67 percent said it was “not very likely,” or “not at all likely,” that they’d get more operating cash that way. Read more

This article was originally published on blog.entrepreneur.com and written by Carol Tice

Before you dedicate your life to crafting a business plan the length of a book, read these two paragraphs from the 1/9/07 edition of the Wall Street Journal in an article called “Enterprise: Do Start-ups Really Need Formal Business Plans

A study recently released by Babson College analyzed 116 businesses started by alumni who graduated between 1985 and 2003. Comparing success measures such as annual revenue, employee numbers and net income, the study found no statistical difference in success between those businesses started with formal written plans and those without them… Read more

This article was originally written by Guy Kawasaki and appeared on his blog: http://blog.guykawasaki.com