Chutes and Ladders – Business Planning

“Back to square one”

~ Economic Journal – 1952 ~

Do you recall the board games you played as a child? Do you look at your school, work, or business experiences and think of the lessons taught in those games? 

While working with students I am reminded of these games. The business plan brings to mind the game “Chutes and Ladders”. Originally, the game was called “Snakes and Ladders” and originated in India. It was renamed when brought to the USA.

The fundamental idea of Chutes and Ladders is to teach the effects of good versus bad deeds. The goal is to reward (ladder) for virtuous conduct and discipline (chutes) for bad behavior.

You might experience similar ladder moves when you are excited or discover a Niche you hadn’t thought of before. There will be the corresponding disappointments of the chute experience when you discover you don’t have enough funding or you are not properly prepared or need to do more research. These are all the ups and downs you will experience during the business planning process.

Sometimes it is best to return to square one and rethink your plan. It is better to play this game on paper versus the real-life experience.

Laura Guillaume is a serial entrepreneur, author, and business mentor. She is focused on enabling budding entrepreneurs to succeed in new business ventures. She has created a toolset of materials to help them plan, execute, operate, and eventually exit a business endeavor.
Laura started and operated numerous businesses from restaurants to software /consulting organizations. Some of the businesses were more successful than others each having significant learning experiences that she wishes to share. The last business venture was the most successful, sold in 2010 it landed 215th of Inc. magazines 500 fastest growing companies, and had a significant impact in its industry.
Laura is hoping that this new venture “Think it Thru” will assist her in accomplishing her last business goal of giving back to other entrepreneurs. Thinkitthru.org will be a non-profit company built to teach, encourage, and assist business startup ventures to be successful.

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