(Measurable) Working Plan

I would like to welcome the new members. Thank you for taking the time to be a part of the Sustainable Startup group. If you would like to have access to our Sustainable Startup online business plan by PlanHQ please email Erika@cameronchell.com and she will arrange free access for you.

Before I get into this weeks post I would like to make a special mention of Marc Dewalle. Marc is the force behind http://www.northcarolinastartups.com/. Somehow Marc became aware of our first boot camp held last month and took a look at the content on the Sustainable Startup Blog, in particular as it relates to Step one, Clarity. Marc wrote about us on his blog with a positive endorsement. http://www.northcarolinastartups.com/2009/07/24/if-you-answer-just-1-question/ Thanks Marc! After having had a look at Marc's site I want to encourage everyone to check it out, regardless of where you are doing business. If you are into startups or venture capital it is great resource and well put together.



A Measurable Working Plan is not a Business Plan. I am not going to kill a bunch of pixels on the difference between a working plan and a business plan but it definitely is deserving of some upfront clarification. I look at a Business Plan as a summarized research document that is presenting a business case to raise capital. A working plan is process by which you manage your business. I go a little further and call the working plans I put together for investors and/or shareholders Measurable Working Plan(s), I will explain. Because in general I work for investors and shareholders, (the money people) of startups more emphasis is put on accountability as opposed to possibility. Possibility is what the founders and early management tend to focus on, and rightly so I might add. In my experience the accountability mentality has shown to be counter productive to the management team/founder, (I know this goes aganist current popular thinking). Further, I have found it is very often used as quick fix answer that the money people like to throw out when things are not going as per their expectations, "We need accountability" (just as an aside another quick fix answer that I hear a lot is "it is a communication issue"). I have come to believe that the current accountability mentality is about blame and not about problem solving. The fact of the matter that I have witnessed is that it is rare that I have worked with an investor that wants the startup to work more than the founder or founding/early stage management team does. The founder or management team is generally willing to do what ever it takes to make the startup successful. The key that I have found to be effective is to make the project measurable at any point as opposed to "accountable" at certain points. If a project is measurable at any given time I have experienced that a founder and/or management team will make the needed changes or adjustments however harsh to ensure success. If a team is clear and measurable I have not seen an investor that would be more harsh than the team would be on itself. This is why I like the measurable mentality as opposed to the "accountable" mentality. One may think that I am splitting hairs but I assure you that difference is very significant. I hope the writings and interactions we have on this topic on the upcoming posts will provide insight on this matter.

In the next few posts we will layout the five areas that define a successful Measurable Working Plan. Then, explain how to build and manage a measurable working plan on a daily basis.