Debbie LaChusa

I live in sunny San Diego, a great place to spend the summer, but so far this summer I've spent a fair amount of time on the road. I've driven to Las Vegas, Nevada; Lancaster, California; and Sacramento, California. And right now ... I'm on my way to Boulder, Colorado (actually we're flying to Boulder, I'm not crazy ... it's too long of a drive!) It may sound like a lot of travel, but it's a typical summer for the parent of a girl playing travel softball. It does take some planning to run my business and manage all of these out of town trips. Not to mention I spend a lot of time on Mapquest, getting driving directions to all these destinations.

And I got to thinking that's exactly what your marketing plan is for your business. It's your "driving directions." Just imagine if I got in the car and started driving to Sacramento, if I didn't have any idea of how to get there ... if I didn't have directions or a map. What would happen? Well, we'd probably get lost. Eventually we'd get there, but odds are it would take us a whole lot longer, and cost us more in gas - and gas is expensive enough this summer! Side note: San Diego is one of the most expensive places in the country to buy gas!

The same holds true for your business. If you don't have a destination (goals) and a map (a marketing plan) your chances of getting where you want to go (creating success) are slim. Or, if you do get there, you'll probably spend a lot more time, energy and money. I know because I've made this mistake. Your plan doesn't have to be long and complicated, but it does need to identify your goals and a clear, step by step plan to get there. Look at this way. You can either plan for success or hope for it. Which would you rather stake your career and financial security on?