I went on vacation recently, doing something meaningful.  My wife and I joined in the Ride2Recovery Florida Challenge bicycling event.  www.ride2recovery.com

Ride 2 Recovery is produced by the Fitness Challenge Foundation, (501C3) in partnership with the Military and VA Volunteer Service Office, to benefit Mental and Physical Rehabilitation Programs for wounded warriors that feature bicycling as the core activity.  So far, my wife and I raised about $6,000 and rode the 390-mile bicycling event from Tampa to Jacksonville with veterans and many wounded warriors.  Each day for 6 days we all rode 50 – 80 miles.

These young men and women benefit both physically and mentally through this program.  Working with the VA hospitals, the Ride2Recovery progam provides stationary bikes, training for VA staff, street bikes [nice road bikes], helmets, shoes and apparel.  It also runs events like the Florida Challenge all over the country–Texas, California, Colorado, Virginia to name a few.

We witnessed first hand how this program is making an astounding difference in the lives of our warriors who have sacrificed so much for the rest of us.  We rode beside many multi-amputees [including Noah pictured below] who learned they could do things they wouldn’t have believed they could do as a whole-bodied person. 

We rode beside PTSD victims who find bicycling is a therapy which enables them to move forward in their lives and reconnect with their families and society.  Nick [a vet] and his son, Brandon, [pictured below] were reunited through this event and it was the motivating force that got Nick off the couch to get the help he needed to reclaim his life and his son.  And, there are so many PTSD victims coming from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Far more than the Pentagon predicted and planned for.

If you’ve managed to read this far, thanks.  The quid pro quo I have in mind is this: if you feel you have benefited from the advice offered in CareerWizard, give something back by donating to Ride2Recovery in my name. 

Credit Card:
Go to www.ride2recovery.com and click on “Sponsor a Rider”; then enter “David Hahn” and give whatever amount you can. 

Or, you can send a check to:
Fitness Challenge Foundation
23679 Calabasas Rd, #420
Calabasas CA 91302 [please enter "David Hahn" in the memo space on your check]

You will be helping a veteran who needs and deserves your help.  Your contribution is TAX DEDUCTABLE to you. Thanks!

A business plan is something most people don’t know about, or at least have never done before they choose self-employment.  And, there is most often a wave of enthusiasm that makes people want to jump right into organizing and opening the business based on the plan they have–in their minds.

A business plan doesn’t have to be complex or elaborate.  The simpler the business, the simpler the plan.  But, it does need to be in writing to have any meaning or effectiveness.  Why?  Because the plan that is merely in your mind tends to morph with time and changing circumstances.  It washes away like a sand castle at high tide.  You constantly lose your anchor point, your benchmark of success or failure, your clarity about your original business concept.

80% of all new businesses fail in the first 5 years.  And, while there are lots of contributing causes noted in the postmortems of these casualties, the lack of a well-conceived and documented business plan is at the root of most.

There are lots of good places to get help.  Perhaps my readers can add ideas on resources that have helped them or someone they know.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• www.StartUpNation.com — Free service created by Jeff and Rich Sloan, founders of several successful start-up businesses.
• www.sba.gov — Lots of good resources for business planning and training; also a resource for loans.
• www.score.org — Senior Core of Retired Executives [S.C.O.R.E.]; free advice and low-cost training.
• www.jian.com– Creator of BizPlan Builder software.  A very effective planning tool for most small or medium-size businesses.
• www.google.com — Search on “Small Business Development Center” for your state or metro area.

And, don’t forget your network as a resource.  We all know people who are self-employed, or we know friends who know self-employed people.  Don’t hesitate to call on these resources for real-world advice on what worked, or didn’t work, for them.

Take the time you need to create a written business plan at the start.  It is critical to enhancing your chance of survival, and will get your profit and loss statement into the black much sooner.

In these days of high unemployment and ruthless employers that throw good people out on the street, it’s really tempting to become your own boss.  But, as tempting as it may be, we all know self-employment is really risky too.  So, where do you start in deciding whether this option is for you, and what road to follow to that pot of gold?

First, I believe it’s important to do some reflective thinking.  Your answer to some important questions will be a good guide in deciding whether to move ahead with your idea:

1. What is my financial status?  Do you have resources which allow you to live without an outside source of income while you build a business?  For how long?  Do you have money to invest in starting a business?  How much?
2. What are your personal financial needs for the future ?  How much do you need to make to support your lifestyle, your future family needs [e.g. college costs], your retirement plan?
3. Do you have a support network?  This is usually comprised of family who are prepared to willingly adjust to your needs, and others who act as advisers.
4. Do you have specialized knowledge, products, services, or a talent that others need and will pay for?  In other words, do you have a business concept in mind that seems to make sense?
5. Are you motivated by this idea, called to do it; or do you find your motivation based more on getting away from your old life?
6. How will you manage all the key functions of your business?   Every business includes the following functions to one degree or another: Sales, Operations, Human Resources, Accounting & Finance, and Purchasing.  Most people can’t do all of these things adequately and need help.  Will you hire people, take on a partner, use independent contractors?

Do your best to be honest and realistic with your answers, and write them down.  Then have a discussion about this with the key person / people in your life.  Find out what their reactions to your answers are.  Talk about what the effect will be on them and how they feel about it.

Some great data will come from this exercise.  Sometimes the writing will be on the wall, telling you this is not a good idea.  Read the writing and pay attention.  Most people don’t belong in the world of the self-employed.