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If you don’t have a plan B, you don’t have a plan

You might have heard about the Chinese proverb that says, “When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people.” And part of that training should be developing a backup plan.

You may have made the best-laid plans, but what if something unexpected happens? I can’t emphasize enough how important backup plans are. You should always have a plan B and possibly plans C and D. The bigger the deal or event, the more detailed your backup plan should be.

I can’t emphasize enough how important backup plans are. You should always have a plan B and possibly plans C and D. The bigger the deal or event, the more detailed your backup plan should be.

As I was building my envelope manufacturing company, whenever we had a big event I would always ask everyone on my team, “What can go wrong?” And just as important, “What is our backup plan?”

Planning is time-consuming and, let’s face it, many people don’t like to do it. But when you think about it, in business you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. That would be regarded as rash or unprofessional. That’s why you need a plan and, equally important, a backup plan.

I’m a big believer in being prepared. How many special events, meetings, weddings, or businesses have been ruined because people didn’t have backup plans? We live in an imperfect world. Regardless of whether we plan for something to go wrong, ...