Developing a Business Plan by Peter Burwash
Let's look at a proposed business plan in general terms, and you can plug in the appropriate mater ia l for your personal si tuation . •
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Peter Burwash is a two-time Canadian Davis Cup star and entrepreneur His professional playing career brought h1m 19 international singles and doubles t1tle s Today he is recognized as one of th e world 's best tennis coaches. In 1974, Peter founded and became president of Peter Burwash International, th e most successfu l mternational tennis management firm 1n the world Operating in more than 25 countries, PBI has established a reputation for professionalism and reliability m tennis faci lity management and teaching at quality resorts. hotels and tennis clubs on a global basis. Hav1ng coached and played in over 90 countries, Peter Burwash is one of the original USPTA Master Professionals, and his book Tennis for Life has become an Industry best seller Curren tly, Peter is serving as an mstructi on editor for Tennis magazine.
A l t hough there will be the occasional entrepreneur or business tycoon who is successful without a game plan , the major ity of successful people not only had a plan , but they believed in it and were willing to be patient in their endeavors. Americans have adopted a mentality of short term planning in the last few decades. We want everything to be successful the day before yesterday Thi s has hurt us, par tic ularly in comparing our business successes with those of the Japanese, who think mostly of long term success. The preside nt of an international hotel management com pany said most Amer ican hotel owrrers want a return on their investment in three to five years, whereas the Japanese look for a return in 20 to 30 years. Fortunately the quick buck mentality is fading , bQt we need to guard against its return , as it is a sure death trap.
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Look at the big picture ,_the game of tennis. Where do you see it in the year 2000 or beyond)? Try to see it as you hope it wil be, keeping n mind that if your business plans and implementation are sound , you will be involved in the future of tennis. Look at your assets and liabilities, both personally and professionally Start with your strengths, and plan on filling in the weaknesses, so you can make your business future a reality Look at the physical assets you have to work with , number of courts, pro shop, cu rrent membership, potential member ship. Are they adequate? What are your plans for the future? Are you allowing for a fair opportunity and return for those who are going to he lp you succeed with your bus iness plan? Will your prices retain your customers even in an economic recession? What will you do when you are successful? Hardly anyone prepares for it, and it is often a traumatic experience . With success comes jealousy and envy from al sources . Are you ready for it?
Personnel In any enterprise , it is very important to hire the right people . If you don 't get the best people you can find , your life will constantly be full of anxiety Training new people takes its toll on you , your staff your finances , and ultimately your customers. It is critical that you give a lot of thought to your interview sessions. Avoid the standard sit-down, across-the-desk type of interview Try to observe them in action . Are they outgoing, or shy? Are they team players or individualists? After observing them in action , develop a series of questions, tests or whatever you like that wil enable you to make a prudent decision in hiring that individual. One deter minant is to find out if they are self-disciplined or well-disciplined . In the service industry we need self-disciplined people who will do things on their own . They will be responsible themselves to show up on time and be well-groomed . Finally try to get a sense of the person 's loyalty While they are working with you , will they be loyal to you? Find out why they left their last job(s).
Loyalty should be a two-way street In the 80s American businesses left employees skeptical and cynical about management when millions of people were fired unexpectedly Remember a very simple formula , if you take care of your employees, and your employees take care of your customers, you can be assured that the customers will take care of your bottom line . Professional The tennis boom of the '70s hurt the game in many ways. Too many people hit the courts with bundles of enthusiasm , wanting to learn how to play Yet, tennis professionals were ill-equi pped to handle the volume . We just didn 't have enough qualified tennis teachers. Being a competent teaching professional requires more skills than just the ability to play the game. We have all seen the playing professionals give a clinic for the first time. Watching them try to teach is a painful , and often embarrassing experience . Being a great teacher requires an enormous amount of sacrifice . The biggest sacrifice is to become unselfish, and to learn to place the student's needs above your own . Anyone who has encountered a medical emergency on the court, realizes the impor lance of something like a CPR course. Therefore , get out and get involved beyond the court Take classes to broaden your knowledge. Go into the community to give free talks. You will be amazed at the response . People will show up for lessons, or to get advice from you on which racquet to buy as a birthday present or talk to you about joining your club. Make a list of things you NEED to know or do to be a complete professional , and those you WANT to learn about Finish the list of "need to " first It may save a life (as with CPR) or greatly enhance customer loyalty as with racquet stringing c,ertification. To complement all this, become an avid reader Successful professionals in every field spend a lot of time reading. The major ity of your reading material should have no direct link to tennis. This will broaden your knowledge and ultimately your confidence.
Marketing Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager spoke at an IRSA conference in the mid- '80s and said, "Good thoughts that remain in your mind mean squat" Tenn is is the king and queen of lifetime sports. There is no sport that is more international. It has great appeal to all ages,