"Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority. "
Vince Lombardi
It's third down and ten yards to go. Your team is down by a touchdown and they're on your own twenty-five yard line with five minutes to go in the game. Your quarterback looks over to you on the sidelines for the next play. What play do you call?
As head coach, you have planned for this situation. You look at your game plan, at the list of possible plays that you and your coaching staff have chosen for just this kind of circumstance. Your offensive coordinator tells you that the other team's defense has been shifting to the strong side on third and long, and that the weak-side cornerback tends to play his man loose and to the outside. You find the play you are looking for: a twelve-yard inside hook on the weak side. You signal the play in to your quarterback and then wait anxiously to see the results.
The roar of the crowd rumbles through the stadium as your quarterback steps up behind the center. He takes a long look over at the defense, barks out the count and the ball is snapped. He drops back to pass, all the time looking to the strong side of the field to help draw the defense to that side. The lone weak-side receiver charges off the line and the defensive corner gives him ground, just as your offensive coordinator said he would. Your quarterback times it perfectly, looking to the weak side and throwing the ball even before his receiver has turned. The receiver curls to the inside; the ball is there and he brings it in, as the defensive player reacts too late. He makes the tackle on your receiver, but it's a first down . . . and your team has new life!
The stadium explodes in cheers as the crowd goes wild. You breath a sigh of relief, but there's no time for celebration. The game's not over and your team is still down by seven. You look back to your game plan and the cycle begins again.
Planning is essential in the game of football. It is essential in all aspects of the game. With its fast paced play, the situation on the field can change in an instant. For a team to perform well, it must have a contingency plan for each situation. By doing so, it allows the team to approach the game as an organized unit, giving the players and coaches a sense of purpose and the confidence that they are prepared to play.
Your business is not a game of football; it is your livelihood. So then, why would you spend any less time at preparing the game plan for your business than a head coach would for preparing for a football game?
One of the most frequent mistakes made by many small business owners is the failure to plan their business operations sufficiently. By failing to plan their business properly, these owners are like a head coach that fails to plan for third and long situations, they find themselves unprepared for the problems and the challenges of their daily business operations. They have only vague notions and assumptions about their competition. They don't see opportunities until it is too late. Their management strategies soon become reactionary. Hmm, guess we better pick a pass play! This type of management leads to a constant need to adjust and adapt to outside influences and relies more on luck to keep their business going, rather than taking the positive action necessary for their business to grow and become successful. I didn't expect these guys to blitz so much!
Today's business environment has become too competitive for you not to develop a sound business plan before opening your business, if you want to succeed. It doesn't matter what type of business you start, or what segment of the market you are going to target, there are countless of other businesses out there, all wanting a share of that same market. Only by having an in-depth understanding of your own business operations and the business environment you will be operating in, will you be able to find the right niche for your business. You need to know how every aspect of your business will work towards generating sales and supplying your product or service to your customers. You need to know who your competition is and how they sell their products or services. And you need to know your potential customers, what their needs are in relation to the product or service you are trying to sell them, what their buying habits are, and how you will convince them to buy from you rather than your competition.
As the great Vince Lombardi once said, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." 
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