I’ve always been a big fan of the idea that if you work hard and do everything right, success will come. That blasé phrase is one specific reason why I have never before invested in stocks or tried to get rich quick with home-based business ventures. Then something happened: Diane Peloquin showed up on my radar screen as an entrepreneur with a profitable company who had achieved significant financial success from her efforts—and she became my new favorite person. Let me tell you about this remarkable woman and introduce you to your newest hero too!
Diane Peloquin just learned that she had gotten the property she wanted: a highly sought-after commercial property in Surrey, British Columbia. She plans to convert it into Cafe Pelorina, a high-end cafe with art, literature, and a community engagement component in addition to coffee.
“I was informed by my commercial realtor that the developers would not even consider at an offer unless I had a business plan,” she recalls, when she initially started looking for a site for her café. I went on the Internet to look for programs that provided business strategies since I am a firm believer in not reinventing the wheel.”
Peloquin needed to put up a business strategy fast since there were many other companies interested in the land she wanted. She had never previously drafted a business strategy. “Rather of wasting time trying to find out what a business plan is meant to look like, which I didn’t have, I Googled business plan software.” That’s when she came across Business Plan Pro and realized how useful it was.
According to her, the planning process gave her a lot of insight into her company. “As I went through it, I realized how much more specific knowledge I needed to acquire in order to be more prepared. I also discovered that it would cost twice as much as I had anticipated!”
Peloquin hasn’t even opened her café yet, yet she’s already tweaking her business strategy. “I’ve already had to go back and change numbers a handful of times when I’d look at the final result and saw where there may be an issue with the pricing I’d set. I was going to be overpaying for certain goods, so I found other suppliers and was able to reach the profit margins I required to be successful.”
Diane, who is now a firm believer in business plans, shudders to consider what could have occurred if she hadn’t created one. “I wouldn’t have created one if the developer hadn’t demanded it, and I now understand this might have resulted in a major disaster.”
When it comes to establishing a company, Peloquin thinks that having a solid strategy is essential. “You don’t know all you should know until you have everything written down in front of you.” She goes on to say that Business Plan Pro made the whole process easy for her. “I was blown away by how simple it was to complete and how professional the final business plan looked,” she adds.
“I believe that writing a business plan provides you a good concept of how your company will operate. Everything you discover about your business will astound you.”
