The Roadmap To Success: Starting A Business Begins With A Plan

As it turns out, December is National Write A Business Plan Month, which I will confess to not knowing was a thing beforehand. While it may be one of the lesser known end of year holidays, it’s one deserving of attention and even a little fanfare, particularly for up-and-coming and would-be entrepreneurs. So in the grandest tradition of this venerable holiday, let’s take a moment and think about what makes a business plan work. This column has always been primarily focused on talking about the workplace and business issues that women confront as they progress through their careers, from navigating boys clubs to pregnancy discrimination to VC funding disparities to the She-cession, but there may be no more pressing topic than how women can create their own success, wield economic power, and make their mark by starting their own businesses. It’s been said in this space repeatedly: there is no greater predictor of women’s rights than women’s financial independence. So, with that in mind, let's talk about the bedrock of starting a business: writing a business plan.