Before You Quit, Have a Plan

It’s been noted in the news and on social media, that many people have quit their full time jobs in order to “go out on their own” in some fashion. And, I certainly don’t / can’t disagree with this interest.

However, my strong suggestion is that before any one quits their primary source of income that they do some planning and preparation before hand.

Some of the things many of us can do these days are:

• Search the Internet for good ideas:
  • Copies and templates of successful and failed business plans
  • Information about “How To and When To …”:
    • Incorporate
    • Gather Funding
    • Hire Laywers and Accountants
      • Contracts
      • Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA)
      • Patent / Copyright laws and requirements
      • Payroll and Accounting procedures and software(s)
    • Build Web Sites and On Line Marketing
    • Advertise
    • Web Analytics: SEO, SEM
    • Use Search Engines
    • etc.
  • Find on line and in-person Business Networking groups
  • …
• Take preliminary action to prepare for:
  • The right business plan
  • An achievable set of businesss goals
    • Short Term, and
    • Longer Term
  • Conduct a Test Market Campaign
  • Discuss these (and most of your ideas) with those networking people who you believe you can trust

Although I am sure many of you could add or revise this list of suggestions, the basic idea is the Think, Plan and, THEN DO IT!