© 2009 Vinny Ribas

 

It is difficult to know exactly what lies ahead for our lives and our businesses. Things change so quickly sometimes, both for the good and for the bad. We can look at history, which has a tendency to repeat itself. We can look at our own habits and that of our company, which tend to yield the same results time after time. We can study the trends, doing our best to predict what the next big wave or craze will be. We can poll everyone we meet to try to determine what the public is thinking and what they are really hungry for. Then again, some people call on fortune tellers, their horoscope, tarot cards, numerology etc. to predict their futures.

 

The truth of the matter is that it is impossible to know with 100% certainty what tomorrow will bring. Natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tornadoes, can strike with hardly a moment’s notice. Someone could drive his or her car through your front wall. A faulty wire can start a costly or even deadly fire. Major challenges in one seemingly unrelated industry start affecting your own industry.

 

So how do you plan for the future? Here are 2 things that you can do:

 

1)      Expect the best! Don’t let thoughts of ‘what could happen’ cloud your vision and weigh you down. It may never happen, and you will have spent all of your time worrying instead of building. Instead, build a strong team and utilize their wisdom, skills, knowledge and experience. Together, do your due diligence to determine where you need to go, how you will get there and how you will get around any obstacles in your way. Set a positive plan of action in place. Then plow forward with great expectations. Don’t be afraid to jump in front of the curve and be the trendsetter, not the follower. 

 

2)      Plan for the worse! Expecting things to continue right on track does not mean throwing caution to the wind. Be sure to have a capital reserve in case you experience a money crunch for any reason. Have all appropriate insurances in place. Be sure your legal team has protected you from liability and other legal challenges. Get all necessary inspections. Always err on the side of caution. Cross your ‘t’s’ and dot your ‘i’s’. With all of the necessary precautions in place, you can move ahead with complete confidence instead of walking in fear.

 

Nothing helps a business grow stronger than a confident leader. That confidence comes from knowing that you have done everything within your power to avoid catastrophes that could and should have been avoided or kept under your control.