By Faculty Member: Roger Corn (rogercorn.com/blog)

If your business plan is longer than the United States Constitution, my question for you is “Why?”

The United States was founded on two documents: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The Declaration is 1,337 words long. The Constitution is 4,608 words long. Both of these documents fit on five handwritten sheets of parchment. That’s it.

Together they represent the vision and the operating plan of one of the greatest countries on earth. What about your business is more complicated than founding and operating an entire country?

Okay, maybe the founding fathers didn’t cover everything that needed to be considered in those two documents. Perhaps it was only a start. But that’s the point. They developed a strong, focused vision. They figured out the important operating pieces. Then they got to work. They let those big picture plans guide them through the ever-changing detailed decisions they faced in the future.

Why not take that approach with your business plan? Skip the fifty page Power Point. Save yourself 100 hours to over-produced planning. Take out five sheets of paper. Write the vision for your company on one. Write the operating plan on the other.

Hand write and sign your plan instead of typing it into your computer. By handwriting, you’ll internalize your vision into your nervous system. You may never have to read it again. You may find that you “know” your plan in an intuitive way that guides your actions effortlessly.

If you’re having trouble figuring out your business, go read the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. It might take you an hour tops. Then give the above method a try. It worked for the founding fathers. It might work for you. Using a feather pen is optional:)

Note> That post is inspired by GK Parish-Philp’s post, Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans, over at the Has and Belongs to Many: Projects Blog.

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