Jim Cairo

Think Ahead

 

I've just finished Bruce G. Posner's article on planning ("Real Entrepreneurs Don't Plan," November 1985). The red banner on the cover had a line that was like a red flag to me: "Fear of Planning."

I'm the president of a start-up that is about to begin an equity offering. After assembling the initial business plan, massaging it for the prospectus, interacting with attorneys, financial people, and CPAs, our team has put in hundreds of hours. It's a good package. But good enough?

It can never be good enough at my stage of the game -- that's the message I took from the story. Every stage of a company's history is important, but initial planning is critical. So I'm going to go back and reexamine a few pieces of my own puzzle. The article made me do it. Thanks.