StartupNation: Jeff & Rich Sloan Outline Their Life-Planning Process
In their book "StartupNation," Jeff and Rich Sloan, inventors and entrepreneurs, outline their guide for building your own business. The Sloan Brothers were recently featured in Fortune Small Business and presented the keynote address at INPEX® 2005. In this excerpt below from the book, the two outline their Six-Step Life Planning Process.
Creating a Life Plan is a process we designed to help you understand who you are, what you want to do, what you can do, and how to get where you want to go. A Life Plan is to your life what a business plan is to your business. Plan your life, then plan your business. Here are the six steps:
1. Establish your current status – Take stock of your current situation. Be objective and candid. Rate your quality of life from 1 to 100 (100 being the best quality you can imagine). Consider the impact of your business on your family and relationships.
2. Create Your Ideal Life – Think about your vision and passion. Picture yourself in old age and work your way back. That's "blue sky thinking" because the sky is the limit. Don't be shy or timid-it's your future! Be true to what you want for yourself.
3. Compare Your Skills to Your Passions – Play to your strength. Ask yourself what am I good at and what do I enjoy doing. The right kind of business and your ideal role within it become apparent when you combine your strengths and your preferences.
4. Your Ideal Work Style – What are the priorities in your life that rank higher than work? How does that affect the time you can spend running a business? How would you spend the day working if you could plan your own work hours? Would you work in a traditional office or at home? How many days would you have off each year?
5. Making Your Own Manifesto – Create a declaration of your intentions and principles. It'll act as a reminder of why you're taking risks and working so hard. It'll help you keep your perspective during times of challenge and opportunity. Your manifesto should capture your intentions and underlying principles and distill them into a simple statement. Carry it in your wallet, put it on your desk, hang it on your wall.
6. Have Key Moves For The Life Plan – To make the most of you Life Plan, you have to put it to work. You must establish "key moves". Figure out the steps you need to take to get from where you are today to where you want to be. Each of these key moves is essential-one depends on the other. Remember, achieving your business objectives is not your ultimate goal. Living the life you want is!
For more information on Jeff and Rich Sloan, or their book "StartupNation," please go to www.startupnation.com.
Authors – Jeff and Rich Sloan
Book – "StartupNation: Open For Business"
Publisher – Currency Books
