I am in the throes of writing a business plan. Even though I knew this was coming, I still feel overwhelmed by the process. Clarity. Refinement. Strategy. Financials. Subject-verb agreement. Oh, sigh! Some nights I find myself laying in bed at 2am rearranging strategy sections in my mind. Other nights, my brain is so tired all I can do is hum toddler songs until I fall back to sleep. Baby Shark…do.doo.do. do.dedo. This is from a person who loves to write, loves ideas, loves to organize. I cannot imagine how this process would be for someone who loves none of these things!

I imagine myself standing (naked of course, because it’s a scary dream) in front of an investor talking the “talk” and then, if they decide to support my dream I have to do all the things I promised in my business plan.

Perhaps the underlying stress of it all is knowing that I might one day pitch my plan for Worthwhile Studio to a potential investor. It gives new meaning to the phrase, The Art of the Deal. I imagine myself standing (naked of course, because it’s a scary dream) in front of an investor talking the “talk” and then, if they decide to support my dream I have to do all the things I promised in my business plan. I want what I’ve written to actually be achievable. I want to be able to fulfill those promises, not only for an investor but for the artists I hope to inspire in the future.

I recently took a part time job as a content writer for my alma mater. I write pages every day. Although I think I was a bit crazy to take a job at the start of my final semester in grad school, I do think the job has re-attuned my senses to the art of writing. Goodness knows I use too many commas, and that active vs. passive voice stuff still confuses me, but I find myself writing faster each day. My ideas come more clearly with practice. My daily task of writing at work is helping me write a better business plan. And perhaps creating a few more 2 am Baby Shark moments than before!

My hope is that I learning how to write a business plan, the entire research process, the whittling away at the unnecessary bits, will help me empathize with future clients. Writing a business plan is difficult, but I have a feeling the promises I want to keep in the future will come a little easier because I persevered.