Balancing Act
While a born planner may never be able to become spontaneous and vice versa,
Christine Kloser, author of
Inspiration to Realization: Real Women Reveal
Proven Strategies for Personal, Business, Financial and Spiritual Fulfillment,
says the key is to strike a balance. "It's [difficult] to go against your innate
way of operating," Kloser says. "The planner who tries to throw caution to the
wind will be so uncomfortable without a plan that she'll be unproductive and
nervous and feel the strain in her business. The [instinct-driven] entrepreneur
who shifts her focus to planning will feel boxed in and restricted, and her
creativity will recede along with her bottom line."
Helgesen agrees. Trying to change your nature "will undercut the uniqueness of
what you offer. The best entrepreneurial ventures are an expression of an
individual's uniqueness," she says, adding that it's important to know your own
strengths and weaknesses and find employees or associates who complement you.
Shaw points to her CFO as the key person within her company who makes plans
regarding financial matters for the business. "It's important to have someone
high up in your company who's capable of creating plans," Shaw advises. "You
need the safety net of a good staff to implement creative ideas and make them a
reality. Let your people provide the balance by creating a good team."
Being a planner doesn't mean you're devoid of creativity or passion, of course.
Mie-Yun Lee, the 39-year-old founder or BuyerZone who has recently transferred
ownership of her thriving company to Reed Business Information, considers
herself a passion-driven planner. She admits to starting her online marketplace
for buyers and sellers of business products and services in 1992 entirely though
passion.
"We didn't have enough people or time to plan," she confesses. "Fast forward,
and I'd have to say the passion is still there, but it is reasoned passion." Lee
believes that having a plan is especially important for staff to use their time
efficiently.
Lee's company has two business plans--the original plan with a content-oriented
business model written in 1992, as well as a 1999 version written for the
company's VC fundraising efforts where the business model morphed into an online
marketplace.
"The last time I looked at either business plan was May 1999, after we raised
our first round of funding," says Lee. "But although I may not look at the print
version, I am always thinking about the strategic direction of the company. In
lieu of constantly referring to a business plan to keep me honest, we have a
board of directors that helps keep our focus on the big picture."
Running a business with long-term planning is essential, in Sepideh S. Asefnia's
opinion. "I am responsible for the livelihood of my employees, and I take that
responsibility very seriously," says the fortysomething president of SEPI
Engineering Group, a $3.5 million firm that provides transportation engineering
and planning services in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Southeast. Still,
Asefnia makes many business decisions based solely on her gut instincts.
Asefnia's planning side manifests when she's adding services or divisions,
targeting new clients and prospects, or expanding to new cities or states.
"Everyday decisions--or decisions that are inexpensive to correct--can be made on
a more seat-of-your-pants approach. Not everything can be planned," she
explains.
To illustrate the need for gut instinct, Asefnia recalls meeting a highly
qualified person in the environmental engineering field in 2005. "I had not
planned on adding that specific service in 2005, but I hired the employee, and
she has done an outstanding job for us. We now have three employees in our
environmental division." While adding that division was in Asefnia's long-term
plans, not her short-term vision, she proved that acting on instinct paid off
for her company.
"If a planner tries too hard to go with the flow, and her intuitive powers are
not well developed, she might make mistakes," says Helgesen. "It would be smart
for her to check her impulses with a few trusted people who could serve as a
sounding board." Helgesen believes, however, that planning is good discipline
for "go-with-the-flow types," but they should avoid adhering too rigidly to
their plan or risk undercutting their instincts.
Asefnia has a business plan that was written four years ago, when she started
her business in May 2001. "I used my plan to get to where we are today but have
not updated it yet," she says. She has scheduled a strategic planning session to
set updated long- and short-term goals and hopes to repeat the process every
year.
Lee believes passion got her to start her business, but planning has made it
successful. "Passion gives you the big ideas that can help grow your company in
large steps. Planning makes sure that the seat-of-the-pants ideas actually get
traction and [lead to] success." Lee cites her balanced approach as the recipe
for the growth of her multimillion-dollar dotcom business, which managed to
survive the internet bust.
"Balance is necessary in all business decisions," says Asefnia. "To find that
balance, look at your past experiences and gauge the results of your actions.
Did you lose an opportunity by too much planning, or did you not think through
all the ramifications of the decision because you are too passionate? Try to
learn and move forward from there."