What framework or process do you follow for planning your week, month, quarter, and year?

It all begins with understanding who your best potential customers are. Spend some very focused time in determining not only who they are (moms; small business owners; homeowners; etc.) but want needs and desires they have. How will these align with your products or services? Also—talk to these people! Don't assume you know who they are and what they are thinking. Otherwise, you could build "a better mousetrap" or launch the greatest business ever (in your mind)...only to find it doesn't resonate with anyone. Narrow your focus as much as possible. It's very tempting early on to try to appeal to everyone ("every woman will love this!), but that is a recipe for disasters. As the saying goes, "The riches are in the niches." Aim for a tightly defined audience and ensure they will be treated like royalty. Remember, it's not about how great you are—or how many features you have or how much better you are than alternatives that may exist. It's about the value you can bring to those potential customers. If you are introducing something brand new into the market, why should they care about it? If you are bringing a new twist on an existing product or service—opening a new shop, starting a consulting business, becoming a Realtor or whatever—why should they consider switching to work with you? Once you understand your ideal customers' persona, the strategy part will be easy. Go where they go—online and offline. Pick a few key channels at first and pour your marketing time and dollars into them. As you grow and have more profits to invest in marketing, you can increase what's working, cut what's not—and experiment with new channels. Finally, think more in terms of objectives, which I like to remember with the acronym PLOT: People—whom you are trying to reach L-a measurable level you are hoping to accomplish O-what outcome you wish to achieve T-Timeframe An example could be: • Invite at least 75 small business owners to attend a free webinar (download an ebook; attend a free tasting; etc.) in exchange for signing up for our mailing list by July 1st

Making sales and figuring out what potential customers want. Really, everything else can be done after you've proven that there really is a business opportunity. www.DavidCBarnett.com

The best way to test a person's talent is to put them to work in the reality of your business. If these folks are all onboard for being partners, promise to give them a cut of all deals they bring in. Structure the plan so that the contract lasts three months. Then, let them prove themselves and show (not just say) they really mean it. Make no equity promises until you can validate their claims. What if someone balks at the offer? I'd imagine these folks will have main jobs during the testing phase. If they scoff or refuse, then you've won immediately. If they aren't willing to hustle a bit extra for a few months how in the world could they do this for many years ahead within a successful partnership? Why three months? People can fake their behavior for quite a bit of time. At two months people can't help but being themselves. You'll get a taste for how they work, they're ability to close, and their personality. Personality is the biggest factor, as they may do a great job bringing in business, but be simply unbearable to work alongside. A note of caution around the Head of Marketing SME: this person sounds like a problem. Are they acting immorally towards their current employer? Check, stealing business. Are they sure they can do it on their own, but for some odd reason never have? Check. Are they requesting for more stake than they deserve? Check. These alone are reasons to run. Immoral, unproven, and greedy at the start. To me, you sound like you need to hire a commission based sales person. Give them a stake of each deal. Don't give up equity for something like this. This company is your baby and equity is a last resort.

Keep your head down and work on your own project. Stop being a spectator to what other people are up to. Ignore all the noise. Start unsubscribing from mailing lists. Delete your memberships at social media platforms, or at least stop logging in. Stop paying attention to Twitter feeds. Treat them like TV channels. Watching TV and following tweets is not entrepreneurship! Want to read? Read a book. Divide your email into critical and non-critical inboxes. Make yourself a rule not to check the optional inbox except on Friday evenings between 4 and 9 p.m. With any luck, you'll be enjoying life too much to bother. Friday nights are a good laboratory for testing those priorities. Force your inbox and twitter feeds to compete for attention with your significant other, and see who wins! Soon you'll recognize how unimportant that stuff is. Information overload is an excuse addicts make for their addiction. It's akin to compulsive rubbish hoarding or an all-day TV binge. Endlessly following the latest startups is no different from endlessly following celebrity gossip. Just because the people you read about are accomplishing things does not mean you are. If you have any ambition, then you can create something while ignoring what other people are doing and saying. A novelist or an inventor will keep busy on their own work to an almost hermit-like extent. If 100 people started throwing 100 objects toward you simultaneously in a hopelessly mismatched game of dodge ball, why would you be under any obligation to catch them all? Stop paying attention. Stop following. Lead! Do something!

To start with, create a "No-To-List" of non-action items. It will help you keep your focus intact on the actual and planned goals. It will also help the team's focus to move in unison. Talking about "To-Do" list of laundry items, start with assessing your internal capability, external requirement, and map the two to find the loosened nuts and bolts. Once you finish up with above exercise, create a list of action plan items that could help you move from possessing idea to establishing business. However, do ensure to plan your business model in the beginning to prevent from doing recurring redundant task. Let me know if you've tried creating any such checklist. You can DM me the same or we can hop on a quick call to discuss the fine prints.