When was last time you sat down and reviewed your business plan? Have you ever done a business plan?

Today, right now, why not just sit down and write a simple plan of where you want your business to go and what you need to do to get it there. Why not sit down, write out what you want you business to accomplish and what it will take to meet those wants.

Here are ten questions to ask yourself while planning: 1.Do you have a product and are you offering it in every form of media possible? (book, e-book, booklet, e-booklet, articles, disk, CD, DVD, video, audio) 2.Can you make a product? 3.Do you have a niche for your products or services? 4.Is there a niche you haven’t thought of or tried? 5.Do you have an associate, partnership, or joint venture program or participate in any? 6.Are you getting publicity you deserve? 7.Do you give interviews? 8.Do you have something you can talk about, train others to do, or want to become a presenter? 9.Do you network at right places, with right people, at right time? 10.Do you volunteer in your community?

If you answered NO to most of those questions, think again. I have searched Internet far and wide, for many long hours and read, researched, and reviewed many tools that I thought might help my business and Internet business. Now I’d like to share these proven tools with you to help you accomplish what you want to do and CAN do in your business. I have personally used, and am implementing all recommended tools below and have become an associate or affiliate member of some; that’s how much I believe in them. These tools have opened my eyes and have helped me rethink my business plan and what I CAN do! I still have a lot of work to do with all information I’ve learned, but point is I’m working it and my business and income is changing for better because of these tools.

~~ DIFFERENT MEDIA’S in WHICH TO CREATE YOUR PRODUCTS: If you already have a product, rethink it and see how you can re-offer it. My dear friend and client, Tom Antion, has a product, * Electronic Marketing Butt Camp on CD *at http://www.antion.com .cgi/123221/buttcampcd.htm His CD is packed with how-to information for Media Marketing, Telephone Seminars, E-Books, CD Productions, Auctions, and much, much more. He named it Butt Camp because he sits on his butt all day making money and so can you! (Don’t let title of his site, Speakers Shop, scare you away. Believe me, his stuff is not just for speakers BUT that is his niche market).

~~ HOW TO CREATE A PRODUCT: If you don’t have a product and would love to learn how to create one, check out, * Make Your Knowledge Sell * at http://www.sitesell.com/overhallsales.html Ken Evoy’s manual will tell you step by step on how to develop a product and how to sell your product.

~~ FINDING YOUR NICHE and MARKETING FOR YOUR PRODUCTS: Another useful tool, * The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on Internet * Home Study Course that I highly recommend is at http://www.marketingtips.com .cgi/47903 Corey’s site is also loaded with lots of FREE marketing information.

I know someone who used to bring work home every night. Each night after dinner with his family, he would go into den and work for several more hours. One night his six-year-old daughter asked her mother, “Why does Daddy always go into den every night after dinner?” The mother explained that Daddy had a lot of work to do that he wasn’t able to finish during day. The daughter replied, “Then why don’t they put daddy in a slower class?” When his wife told him what their daughter had said, it jolted him into reality. He decided from that point on that he would not take work home with him anymore. The only way he could get all work done was to delegate some of it to others. As he learned to delegate, he dramatically improved his management skills and was eventually promoted to president of company.

Here are some tips for effective delegation:

1. Select right person for job. You select delegatee for one of two reasons: This individual is best qualified and can deliver best results…OR…This individual will most benefit from learning experience of taking on this job. This project will contribute to his/her experience and development, which company will draw on at a later time.

2. Provide enough information. Provide “big picture” so delegatee can see how work fits into overall operation. Don’t hoard information or keep them in dark. Determine what success looks like so he/she has a clear picture of what you want to accomplish.

Point out win-win. What’s in it for him/her. “Having you take this responsibility will allow me more time to focus on XYZ, and you’ll have opportunity to learn more about what’s going on outside of our department, which will better position you for that promotion you are working towards.”

3. Delegate entire job to one person and give them full authority. This will heighten individual’s interest in project and provide a deeper sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when task is completed. Although ultimate responsibility lies with you, when you delegate something to someone, be sure that others know that you’ve given responsibility and authority to that individual, and that they area accountable for producing results.

One manager brings little plastic footballs to his staff meetings. When he delegates a project to someone, he writes project name on football. Then he tosses ball to delegatee and says, “You’re responsible for XYZ Project. Don’t drop it.” -- a dramatic way to let delegatee and other staff know that he/she has been given responsibility, authority, and ownership for project!

4. Focus on results, not on process. Delegate responsibility, not work. Too many managers confuse delegating responsibility with offloading work onto someone else. When assigning a project, allow delegatee freedom to exercise some personal initiative. Focus on what you want, not how to do it. Let him/her develop methodology for how to achieve goal.