
The importance of having a plan - mathoda
http://mathoda.com/archives/565
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run4yourlives
This is all you need to know about planning, from two of the greatest military
minds of the last century:

 _In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but
planning is indispensable._ \- Dwight D. Eisenhower

 _A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next
week._ \- George S. Patton

~~~
wlievens

      No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.

\- Helmuth von Moltke

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markessien
There is always a famous quote that supports your point of view, no matter how
wrong you are.

~~~
adsyoung
Absolutely, although I'm struggling to find a good famous quote to support
this point of view.

~~~
Harkins

      Some for renown, on scraps of learning dote,
      And think they grow immortal as they quote.

~~~
eru
And:

    
    
      The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
    

As an added plus the quote is badly taken out of context for this use.

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AndrewWarner
All the old business advice books I read talked about the importance of having
a plan. In the interviews I do with successful entrepreneurs, I don't see
clear, detailed plans. I wonder what this means?

~~~
Tangurena
Most successful people don't know how they got to be successful. They'll
attribute it to whatever they think got them there.

 _Luck is being prepared for an opportunity_

 _Those who are not prepared, are unlucky. They let life push them in whatever
random direction life pushes them in._

[http://sithsigma.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/luck-is-being-
prep...](http://sithsigma.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/luck-is-being-prepared-for-
an-opportunity-2/)

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MichaelApproved
There is a difference between not having a plan and having one that allows for
experimenting. Just because you're trying different things doesn't mean you
don't have a plan.

A plan is a good thing. It keeps you from losing focus, lets you set goals and
helps you know if you're on track.

Create a plan, you'd be a fool not to, but make sure it allows you to
experiment.

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webwright
I've written a few business plans in my life (3 started companies, 2 sold,
current one is Series A funded FWIW).

Every single time, the plans sat on the shelf. Every single time, I looked
back at those plans and laughed/cringed at the assumptions I made in them and
was amazed at how little my business resembled the picture I painted in those
plans.

I think it's a great exercise to run through the sections that are common in
biz plans (marketing, etc). Think about 'em, talk about 'em, maybe even
through together a spreadsheet or two.

But don't make it formal and don't spend too much time on it-- the more you
invest in it, the more it'll feel like a blueprint rather than an exercise.

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padmanabhan01
Obviously a lot of ingredients go into being successful, and invariable few of
them get highlighted more and few less in any advice or suggestion given by
anyone.

A great plan will not take one anywhere without good execution. and a great
plan executed well can fail if timing is not right or for thousand other
reasons.

The bottomline is - there is no single silver bullet.

