Princesses, Planning and Preparation

Our daughter Maggie recently turned 5 and to celebrate we had a Princess Party.  This was her first real party and it was a highly anticipated event.  We were counting down the sleeps and much planning was involved (under madam’s instruction).  Luckily, it went smoothly and all Princesses left more than satisfied, including the host.

However, do you know how daunting it can be to have the success of such an important event directly linked back to you?  And what the potential wrath of an unhappy 5 year old Princess can do to your mind?

The only way to ensure success was preparation and planning.  Right down to the last lolly bag.  While the event only lasted a few hours, knowing our market (5 year old girls) and doing the preparation (food, drinks, games, entertainment, decorations, prizes) meant it all went without a hitch.  If we had just tried to go with the flow and ‘wing’ it on the day, disaster was assured.

This is the same for anything we do in business – opening a new store, sales calls, promotions, seminars, events, special offers, sales.  Do the planning and preparation and your chances of success are significantly improved.

Part of this planning involves looking at your target market or customers, identifying their needs and planning a solution.  Everything you do, do with your target market in mind.

Keep reading below to this week's Champion Tip to see how Sascha Griffin used preparation and planning in her business setup.

Samantha & Steve

P.S.  If you any other tips you would like to share, email us at info@smallbusinesschampionsclub.com

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Today's champion tip comes from Sascha Griffin.

Sascha embarked on her new venture - pinklily - creating a glamorous mail order company specialising in her 'launch' product - the clear shoebox. She could never have imagined the success that she has experienced in just the first two years - including an enormous clientele, staff, and a globally recognised brand.

In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes new business owners make?

Failure to think through every single step of how their business will operate - you might have one good idea to kick-start the business, but it won't last forever. You have to continually think of new media campaigns and ways of reinventing that first idea in order to survive.

Not being organised - when initiating a marketing campaign you need to be prepared. If the campaign works, you will only have a day, perhaps a few hours, to process, pack and deliver every sale that you make. It is always better to be very 'over' organised than to be caught out and miss potential sales.

Playing safe - in any business you have to take risks; some will pay off, others may not. However, with every campaign and every decision you make, you will find that the good ones will outweigh the bad ones, in fact, the bad ones will soon be forgotten!

Hiring the wrong staff - I have been so fortunate that I employed Francine from day one (we actually went to the same school). Francine is my operations manager and coordinates all sales. It is so important to employ staff who share the same vision, are extremely efficient and whom you respect. Staff relationships are crucial for creating harmony within a company. I am always spoiling my staff because they are the people who keep the motor running in the engine room.

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