What can a home remodel expert teach you?

My wife loves to watch TLC and HGTV shows on television. Most of what she watches are "home" shows. People shopping for their first home, or a vacation home, or getting help to sell their home, or getting help to fix a bad remodel job. What can you learn from a remodel expert about business planning? Just tune into Holmes On Homes some day! His mantra is Make It Right! Basically, he's hired by folks who started a remodel with a contractor that has failed them miserably, and then Mike Holmes comes in to Make It Right. He's a man with integrity, experience, and character; and he's the most respected contractor in Canada, where the show is based.

So, what can you learn from a remodel expert? Here's what I learned
that's helping me create our business plan for Child Wise:
   1. Start with a good  and complete understanding of what's involved.

   2. If you're using outside consultants, bring in people you trust and have done your homework on.

   3. Use only good materials and tools (think software and learning/guiding resources).

   4. Ask a lot of questions (of yourself and your team), even if you think they are stupid.

   5. Have a solid, tangible, colorful vision of what your organization looks like in the end. If you can describe it to someone in a way that they could describe it to someone else accurately and passionately, then you've got it. If you can't... keep working.

   6. Set a time line and stick to it. If a home builder misses milestones and deadlines, he/she should pay a consequence... it keeps them motivated and on time. The same thing should apply to you.

   7. Don't put in 4 nails when only 2 are needed. In other words, don't over-think it. If you re-write the plan ten times, you're probably draining the life out of it a little bit each time. If this is "your baby", your gut is right more often than your brain. Trust your gut when writing the plan.

Okay, so that's what I learned from Mike Holmes. I'd love to hear what your thoughts are. But before you think I've completely lost my mind, Here are a couple more great guys that have taught me a lot... and I'm using what I've learned from them, too.

Guy Kawasaki:
He's a nimble, brilliant, creative businessman, marketing expert, and venture capitalist. This post on writing an executive summary is one the the best I've encountered. While you;re on his site, look up his posts on buisnes splans, marketing, etc. You, too, will learn a ton! By the way, he's got some great books out that you'll enjoy.

Seth Godin:
I read Seth's blog every day. I have all of his books, and have been inspired and informed by almost everything he puts out. This post from today gave me pause in how I'm structuring the business plan for Child Wise. Coincidentally, most of what I've written so far follows his suggestions!

Bottom line, though, is best stated by a famous writer;

There's nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.  ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith

Now, get to it!