I think this year will be the 10th year in business, and somehow we’ve managed to survive running our business for almost all of that time with some kind of profit.
We didn’t particularly need a business plan writer to get started either. We didn’t have to borrow money to start up in the first place, obviating the need to get a business plan.
Would I do that now? Probably not. I would certainly think much more about the profitability angle, and the pricing given how we now operate as a business. But it would be quite hard to persuade my partners of the necessity of some of these changes.
Also, the start up phase of any company is the most difficult. But now we’re moving into the maturing of our initial business, and we’re kind of needing more direction and counselling.
But looking back ten years, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come, how many competitors fell by the wayside in that time, … but looking forward, we still have a long way to go.