The Pumpkin Plan

Quick Summary of The Pumpkin Plan

If you want to have a thriving business think like a world champion pumpkin farmer.  To get a prize-winning giant pumpkin you need to start with quality seed.  Then you identify the most promising plants and kill off the rest of the vine and anything competing with the most promising bloom. The same holds true in your business.  The Pumpkin Plan is to focus on what you are great at, serving only your ideal customers.

My Notes on this Book:

Following you'll find my key takeaways from The Magic of Thinking Big.  My notes are informal and include key points, quotes from the book, passages I found useful and applicable lessons.  I am currently reading this book and will update my notes periodically.

• Most business owners work very hard, for very little results.
• If you want different results you need to do things differently.
• You should own a business that frees you from the grind.
• The best small business owners identify problems, create solutions, and build processes for others to implement the work.
• Market to, and work with only your ideal clients.
• Most "opportunities" are weeds in disguise.  Weed them out. Stay focused on your best crop.
• Identify your minimum goal: The amount of revenue needed from your business for you to be comfortable.
• Identify the frustrations of your best clients and determine how you could solve those problems.
• Don't swing for the fences, build a sound and consistent business.
• Don't fix what's not working, eliminate it. Then redouble your efforts on what is working.
• Trading time for money is a trap.  Instead, trade money for time.
• Your industry and your business are not as unique as you think they are.  Follow the proven principles for success.
• Don't waste time planting bad seeds or seeds that may not work out.  Focus on planting only good seeds, the seeds you know have the best chance of working out.
• The sweet spot of your business is the intersection of your unique offering, your systemized process, and your ideal clients.
• Focus on and leverage what makes you unique in the market place: your unique strengths and abilities and your unique approach to delivering your product or service.
• Don't try to copy the competition, focus on what makes you unique.

Bibliography:

Full Title: The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field

Author: Mike Michalowicz

Publisher: Portfolio/Penguin (July 5, 2012)

Pages: 240 pages