It's summertime. That means if you're like most people you've got a vacation planned.

Maybe you're hopping on a plane to visit a tropical locale like Hawaii.

Or perhaps you're packing up the kids in the car and going to visit family in Missouri.

You might even be gathering up your camping gear and heading to the mountains for some outdoor recreation and relaxation.

Whatever your vacation plans, I'm willing to bet that you do have PLANS.

Odds are you're not going to just wake up one day this summer, and hop in the car and start driving. Or head to the airport to try and catch a flight.

When we take vacations, we create a plan. First we decide where we want to go. Then we research the different ways to get there. Will we drive? Will we fly? Will we take a train?

We take into consideration how much time it will take to get there and how much it will cost. Then we make plans that fit within our budget and accomplish our goals.

By the time most of us leave on our vacation we've got all the details of how we're getting there, what we're doing while we're there, and how and when we're returning home, outlined in an itinerary.

This is just one example of an area of life that we always plan. Others include going to college, getting a job, getting married, starting a family, buying a car, buying a home, throwing a birthday parties, celebrating an anniversary ... the list goes on and on.

For all of these activities we get a clear picture of what we want (our goal) and we create a plan to get there.

So why don't we do the same thing when it comes to our business?

That's a very good question. If you think about it, you've got more at stake when it comes to your business than you do many of these other activities.

Your livelihood is at stake. Your ability to not only pay your bills and meet your obligations, but also to live the live you want to live.

In fact, if your business isn't successful, you can't do most of these other activities that we are so good at planning.

So I want to ask you, do you have a marketing plan right now that spells out what your goals are for your business? And how you plan to get there?

If not, start thinking about how big you want your business to be. How much money do you want to make? How many clients do you want to serve?

And, once you've determined this, develop a plan to get there.

(C) 2006 Debbie LaChusa, 10stepmarketing

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free 10-week Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debbie_LaChusa