An Overnight Success

Hardly. Most of the businesses that I have worked with that have become “overnight” successes took years to become so. The old cliché is right - success is when opportunity meets preparation. The overnight part was the opportunity – thus creating visibility that did not previously exist.

And while the success would not have existed had the opportunity not presented itself, it won’t happen without a lot of solid preparation either. If you become an overnight success, could you manage the increased volume? Could you staff up to seize the opportunity? Do you have the systems in place to capture the sales, inventory in stock and a shipping process that provides timely turnaround?

It’s the savvy entrepreneur who has run all of the “what if” scenarios. She has planned and documented procedures for each step (order processing, fulfillment, etc.), so that a new employee can step in and become part of the well oiled machine.

She has also considered “Murphy’s Law” effect. What can (and probably will) go wrong? Are all of products tied to a single vendor who may not be able to meet the increased demand? Can the business expand and contract to meet seasonal fluctuations? Can the business maintain the customer experience despite having to meet increased demands? She has worked through these challenges and planned accordingly.

When writing your business plan (yes, you should have a business plan), it is important to consider different scenarios of success. And years from now – when you are an overnight success – you’ll be ready.