Let's Have Breakfast

First off, just want it out from the start that I'm not a business woman. At least, not yet. I've dreamt of being one though, for years. I was that elementary-grade who made bookmarks out of yarn, colored pencil & crayon shavings, cardboard and plastic cover to sell to my classmates who would rather play than read a book. Needless to say, the venture didn't fare well. My classmates were barbarians, and I was foolish to not consider that I'm targeting the wrong market.

Well anyway, I thought, why don't I just chronicle my adventures into setting up a business. At worst, it's just me rambling, boring someone to tears. At best, it could guide me in the future. (Surely, I'd be successful and create more than one venture!)


I made a few attempts to build something through the years. I have business ideas coming out of my ears like earwax. But nothing really happened until a couple of months before my 40th birthday. 


I had been toying with a couple of ideas in my head, trying to see which one seemed feasible. I made concept docs to put my thoughts on paper.


Then in January, my cousin-in-law came here for his annual me-time vacation. As is tradition, we had dinner. And, as is tradition, we discuss my business ideas. We do this every time he come here. We kick my ideas around to see if there is something that will catch.


This time, something did. So he told me he's interested and if I can come up with a business plan.

As I have no formal business training, not even basic accounting for non-accountants, I just researched on what makes up a business plan. That's when I found that it contains:


1. Executive Summary
2. Industry and Market Analysis
3. Business Description
4. Marketing Plan
5. Organization
6. Operations
7. Financial Statements

I poured all my heart and mind into that document. I explored my thoughts and feelings. I made changes in it to suit what I felt needed to be said. I wanted a venture exuding positive energy. I want to build a culture of respect and integrity.

I had a short time to do the plan. so I concentrated mostly on it, rather than outside of it. I gave him the business plan. The concept is simple enough. I like breakfast food. I can eat it the whole day. Most people I know are the same. And I have not heard of a good all-day breakfast place. Light bulb!

A couple of days later, he text-ed me to say that he's in, that we can do it.

On a related note, while doing the plan, I also learned that having right-brain leanings made it hard to put everything on paper.  So, when I encountered this book called, The Right-Brain Business Plan, written by Jennifer Lee, I got it though I was already in the middle of hunting for a location.

I figured it wouldn't hurt to learn more about it. A business plan is a constant work-in-progress anyway. It's never too late to continuously update and refine it.

And that, my friends, is Sequence One.

(i do not profess ownership of the rights to the photos in this blog.)