Window Film Business Success
A Business Plan is the Road Map to Success
Too many window film companies, especially installers, have the attitude that "whatever happens ,happens". It's all in God’s hands. This is not true, God helps those who help themselves. Some business people live day to day, never really knowing in what direction their business is going.
These companies are the ones who never quite make it. They do not understand the secret to a successful business and they always seem to be battling to keep their heads above water.
Planning and scheming in this day and age is essential if one wants to move ahead and run with the winners. A key ingredient in the majority of long term success stories with entrepreneurs, is to plan their route to success. They use planning as a tool which provides future goals and also provides a guided map on how to reach their dreams and goals.
These plans help to manage and understand the strong and weak points of their business, as well as their client’s needs. All of this, combined with the owner’s personal goals allow for these goals to be formulated. Building a successful business is like having a good recipe for baking a cake. If you don't have the right ingredients the cake will flop! And if the cake does rise, you need the icing for the top!
A business plan also helps investors with the information necessary to decide or evaluate your company and it's chances of success should you require a loan to increase the size of the business.
Properly done, a business plan is a large document with lots of detail in all aspects of the business. If you are not experienced in the business world and you require an expert consultant to draw up a business plan you will need to have deep pockets because they don't come cheap and is not a quick exercise if you want the real thing. These documents will fine tune every detail of the different parts of the business. This exercise can change the direction of a company turning it from a struggling enterprise to a money spinner.
The plan will teach the owner to fine tune all operations and increase profits, the name of the game in business.
The first step in the secret of a plan is to understand the owner,s goal. My personal goal in my business would be to become the biggest player in my industry. Now that's a tall order. Other business people would be satisfied to be the biggest player in their area. Different strokes for different folks.
Whatever your goals are, you need a plan of action. One needs to get out and generate the business as it is definitely not going to come to you. You can bet your bottom dollar on this!
Any good business plan will include many aspects, including the financials and it's projections. It will also include a feasibility study of your industry in full detail, it's markets and detailed statements on how to change and run the business. For any business to work one needs five ingredients. Same as baking that cake – leave out one ingredient and the cake will flop. It is as simple as that. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to understand this.
In order to succeed ………
1. You must have a good product
2. You must have a big market
3. You must have capital
4. You must have know how
5. You must be a workaholic
If you are missing one of these ingredients forget it and rather go fishing . If you have the opportunities to get your hands on or can work out these
details and work out if you qualify for the above, you should continue reading. If not, get help from a person who understands how you can work out the details.
Under the heading of a good product, one needs to make sure that the products you are selling are different and more advanced than your competitors. If this is not the case some tweaking needs to be done.
To take a market on you need to have the edge on your competitors and something that differentiates you from the rest of the pack. Someone has to put on their thinking cap and do some serious brain storming.
By a good market I mean it's no use selling a sun control product in Ice Land ,as the market is very limited, or a bomb blast window film in Australia, as it is a country with a history of very little terrorism. Make sure your product has got wide appeal ie."turn on love drink in the UK"
If one does not have the right amount of capital to invest in the business forget it. It will be a financial drag which will take your mind off the focus you need to succeed. Look for a wealthy partner who can afford to invest in a long term gain. To make money you need money. The rich just get richer.
Know how - if you don't have the experience and know how to run a successful business, hire a captain with a success story to help you run the business. Every worker needs to be hand picked as you can’t afford to carry passengers. You need movers and shakers with lots of energy and a man at the top with passion, experience and enthusiasm to get the show on the road.
I could go on and on and write a book, because I have done it over and over again. Before I start I do my homework and make sure that I create a "wow" factor and turn a dull product on it's backside and make it come alive.
It's an art and the harder you practice the better you become at it.
If you have ridden a bicycle you will never forget how, if you can play golf, you can play golf.
If you want to succeed you have to eat, sleep and dream your business and brand. If you are lazy and want it to come easy ,forget it, you are barking up the wrong tree. Always remember that nobody in the cemetery died from overworking. You have to love what you are doing to be successful. As the saying goes “an unhappy man is a man who hates his work”. The story of work smart and not hard' is bullshit. The true story goes like this "work hard and smart and then you will move to the top”.
It's crowded at the top and it's very lonely at the bottom. Cheers for now .....