How entrepreneurs should plan for a successful 2015

In the last few years, I have had the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life – some at a managerial level and at the corporate world, some students, some artists and some entrepreneurs.

The one thing that is common in all of them is that everybody plans for a successful future. Yes, it’s an underrated fact that everybody plans. However, what I have understood from the people who are successful in these different streams is that all these people plan differently.

A corporate executive cannot plan for a successful future the way a student would. But the entrepreneur cannot plan for a successful future the way a corporate executive would.

So here is an interesting insight for you to understand what exactly it takes to put together some powerfully successful PLANning for entrepreneurs.

P for 'Prepare': Corporates perceive, students participate and entrepreneurs prepare. Entrepreneurs don’t perform for stats and incentives. They only perform for growth, freedom and their vision for the same. So if you are an entrepreneur then the first thing you need to do as part of your planning for a successful 2015 is to prepare for a successful 2015. Prepare your attitude, prepare your calendar, prepare for your growth.

Steve Jobs is a great example of this phase! He showed an early interest in electronics and gadgetry and started developing his skills early on in life. He spent a lot of time working in the garage workshop of a neighbour who worked at Hewlett-Packard, an electronics manufacturer. He enrolled in the Hewlett-Packard Explorer Club. There he saw his first computer at the age of 12. He was very impressed and knew right away that he wanted to work with computers.

Once he figured that out, he set about putting together a plan for his success. He didn’t really care for formal education and only concentrated on consuming information that would help him plan for his success. He was fearless in his planning.

L for 'Locate': While corporates list down their activities that need to be planned for work to happen in their companies and students lace up to step out and do more than what they are doing in colleges/schools, entrepreneurs locate opportunities. A successful entrepreneur always locates opportunities to network, locates key people to overcome a challenge and locates areas of growth. So to make 2015 a super successful one, locate your areas of growth and locate opportunities to create breakthrough results.

There can be no better example of locating opportunities that Ratan Tata. There was a time when no one saw his vision and could not see the ‘opportunities’ that Ratan Tata spoke about. He received a lot of hushed rumours and bitchy comments for picking up projects which were apparently sinking. Ratan Tata had a vision and he believed in it. He boldly went ahead and kept his dream alive and today each one of those ideas is a thriving company. He won over each and every critic. Right from the Nano to the Jaguar, among other things, he has left a mark in the business world – both nationally and internationally!

Anybody who has seen ‘Social Network’ knows that Mark Zuckerberg is the man behind Facebook. What you might miss is his keen eye for opportunity. He saw one where none existed. He was the first one to capitalise on the need for everyone to stay connected and make more newer connections and network.

A computer programmer by the age of 12 he co-founded Facebook out of his dorm room while still a sophomore at Harvard. Facebook is now the world’s largest social network making Zuckerberg one of the youngest billionaires. He spotted and capitalised on the opportunity and is still doing it with the purchase of Instagram and now WhatsApp. He is always on the lookout for locating new opportunities.

A for 'Act': This is one thing that is common in all streams. The only difference is that corporates act on their perception of their management’s vision, and students act based on what area of self-development they are taking part in.

Entrepreneurs act on their preparation for growth. It’s obvious that once you are prepared for the growth and abundance you want to have and you have located the opportunities to make it happen – the next thing for you to do is act on it. There are no results without actions. People who don’t take actions end up with failed plans. So to make 2015 a successful plan, act.

Yes, you have an idea, but unless you act on it, it is just an idea! The most powerful example of Act–ing on an idea is Richard Branson. He knows how to act on it. And what a way to act on it! Nothing he does is small…he acts on his instincts, makes a decision and announces it to the world…with grandeur…then he makes the decision right!

N for 'Nurture': While it’s important for a corporate to be able to narrate the big picture and vision to their subordinates and employees to make it a great year, it’s important for students to narrow down their focus to actually grow in specific areas that will help them make it a successful year. The same way for entrepreneurs it’s important to nurture the true potential of the people and other resources available around them.

Successful entrepreneurs are awesome at nurturing the true power of their resources like their people network, expansion opportunities and even social media to fulfil their dreams and desires for 2015. All great entrepreneurs are nurturing the power of their true potential and so must you to make this year the best year for you and your entrepreneurial journey.

JRD Tata, need I say more? He is credited with a lot of firsts. Under his chairmanship, the assets of the Tata Group grew from $100 million to over $5 billion. He nurtured his people and his companies to locate new opportunities and trusted in their skill to make it a success. He slowly and steadily built an empire. He started with 14 enterprises under his leadership and half a century later on 26 July 1988, when he left, Tata & Sons was a conglomerate of 95 enterprises, which they either started or in which they had controlling interest.

So plan for a brilliant entrepreneurial 2015!

The writer of this article is Amit Punjabi, Life Coach & Founder, Sankalp Academy, Bengaluru. The views expressed here are personal.