NxLevel

    Hello again!  Pardon my absence- I've been writing a lot but not on this blog.  I've been working on my business plan (yes, still) and it's kind of taking over my life.  The reason?  I'm taking a business-plan -writing class held at the Community Business Partnership called NxLevel. 

    NxLevel is a 13-week course that is designed to detail how every part of the business plan should be approached and successfully written.  The class is held on the same day every week for three hours.  The first part of the class is devoted to the instructor's lecture, and during the second part of the class local business owners come in and share their experiences.  Hearing about other entrepreneurs' start-up ventures is so helpful and I've found that most small business owners are anxious to share what they've learned. 

    The best part about the class?  Homework.  Seriously.  Every week we're asked to bring in a completed section of the business plan.  The instructor looks over it and addresses any questions or concerns.  When I first started writing my business plan on my own, before I started this course, it was difficult to determine where to start writing.  NxLevel took the guesswork out of the process and just made me start writing. 

    Some things I've learned during NxLevel classes:

• Your business plan should be as long as it needs to be.  There is no perfect length, just write the plan that your business requires.  I think that my plan will end up being about 30-40 pages, but I really have no idea right now.
• The business plan is never "finished."  As is reiterated in just about every class, "the business plan is a living thing."  In order to accomplish your business goals you need to know what those goals are and the business plan will tell you how to accomplish them.  For example, a short term goal (under a year) of mine is to open the boutique.  A long term goal (1-5 years in the future) is to reach a certain level of sales revenue.  Both of these goals will change over time, and thus my business plan will change.
• The only way that you can have a successful business is if you have customers that will pay you.  This sounds like common sense, but it struck a chord with me.  I'm going to really have to focus on buying inventory that my customers will buy, not just things that I want to buy.  For this reason, customer service and effective merchandising will be my biggest concerns in the boutique. 
• Being self-employed and being a business owner are two different things.  Are you starting your business because you want a job?  Or are you starting a business because you want to start a business?  I realize that, at first, the role of business owner will be intertwined with that of unpaid full-time plus employee.  When the boutique is successful, however, I will step back and be more of a guide for the business.  My idea for Powder Boutique was formed while I was job-hunting, and as I half-heartedly searched the job boards it became more and more evident that I didn't want to throw myself back into the corporate world.  I just... couldn't do it.  I realized that starting my own business would give me the independence and the creative outlet that I couldn't get sitting at a desk all day.  Scratch that- I don't mind sitting at a desk all day, but it has to be my desk in my store

    I could go on and on, but I should probably get back to the business plan.  If you're looking into starting your own business I fully recommend finding a NxLevel program in you area.

*I'm just a satisfied NxLevel customer and this is not a paid endorsement.