Why is Business Planning so HARD??

Business Planning. The thought sends many a solopreneur screaming for the hills. It’s so analytical. So Left Brained. It just seems hard. We creative solopreneurs want to work ON our business, but we find it difficult to sort our dreams and aspirations into a well sorted plan.

I for one am not good with Excel spreadsheets, or facts and figures. In fact, I’m allergic to them. They make me itch and break out in hives. Ok, maybe not that medically intense, but very, very close.

The thought of writing a business plan just makes me uncomfortable. And it’s not for lack of trying. I’ve taken courses through the years. Bought books that sit on the shelf. I’ve not found anything that seems to fit my style or my needs.

I’ll admit, for far too long I’ve run my business flying by the seat of my pants. I’ve always known where I want to be, but carving out the incremental steps to get there have alluded me. I’m a multipotentialite who suffers from a good dose of ADHD. I love to follow the next shiny object. Alas, these traits have not advanced my business or my role as founder.

Time for a change

I knew there must be some tools to make this daunting task easier. So I went searching the interwebs. It was a trek from one end of the google-sphere to the other. I finally found a few tools that suit me. I think they may suit you too.

Here’s the list:

1.  I’m so happy I found LivePlan. It’s literally step-by-step with tutorials, examples and guides. This is business planning for the rest of us. It’s reasonably priced at only $19.95/month (that link offers first month for only $9.95). The annual plan offers a substantial discount at just $139.95. LivePlan gets you looking good and investor ready. It promotes itself as a living document that will serve you as your business scales. LivePlan is truly an all-in-one service; keeping track of planning, forecasting and financials.
   This one is more of a business modeling tool. Startup Savant describes it as “an interactive digital whiteboard of sorts with multi-layered sticky notes. …there really isn’t a step-by-step process. Instead you dig deeper into each little note and as you go there are an assortment of features to flesh them out.”  Consider this a discovery tool that you can use to uncover the layers of your plan. The foundation of their model is the Business Model Canvas and the Value Proposition. It’s fun. Try it!
2. Daily Greatness Business Planner is my absolute favorite planning tool. Yes, it’s a real book. So very tactile and so, so very beautiful. Created by a creative for creatives. You’ll get stuck into this and start craving your planning sessions. It’s got everything. It’s based on 90 day sprints (or quarterly goals), whichever you prefer to call them. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING is in here. No more jumping from planner to planner app and back. Just carry this gorgeous book with you and you’ll always be on top of your plan. This is just what I’ve been looking for. Thank you so very much, Lyndelle Palmer Clarke, for creating such a sumptuous captivating tool! You’re my kind of gal!

Note: Some links are affiliate links. They won’t make me rich, but maybe I’ll save up for one of those fancy coffee drinks I hear everyone talking about. Thanks in advance!