Travel Writing Blog - Business Plan (Executive Summary, Vision, and Mission)

The Start of a New Adventure...

​By William Ballard 

“Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.” – Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (AFF)

So many people start things – start a project, start a business, or even start a blog – without having a clear picture or idea of what they are trying to accomplish. To me, this just makes absolutely no sense. You see, if you start out on a journey with no destination in mind, how would you know when you got there?

I recently started The Ultimate Travel Writer's program and it has inspired me to want to start this new travel writing blog project. It is because of that philosophical truth stated above, and because of this new program, that I wanted to start the launch of this new blog project with the following insights and strategic planning in mind.

Some of these elements or sections that you are about to read are what you would typically find in a traditional business plan, but is not meant to be viewed as one of the types of exhaustive business plans that we would write for one of our clients. 

The gist of this article is all about giving you some insight into who I am, who this blog is for, and what you can expect to learn and gather from each article.

So without further delay, let’s get this journey started!   

​Executive Summary

I’ll be honest with you, there is a bit of “selfishness” in my desire to start this journey of being a travel writer. That is because it fulfills two of my most deepest passions – writing and traveling.

In short, I wanted to be able to LIVE the retired lifestyle while (or as) I’m working. There is no other income generating vehicle or profession that allows this dream to be a reality other than what I’ve found in travel writing and photography (i.e. fine art, stock, commercial and editorial).

But on an unselfish note ... as I’ve grown professionally, and as my business has matured and developed, it also helps fulfill another passion of mine, which is being able to help others fulfill their own passions for traveling and living out the life of their dreams (your dreams).

Vision/Passion: My joy of being a travel writer is all wrapped up in my ability to discover extraordinary delights in ordinary details, and the unusual hidden in the usual.

Mission: Educate readers on how to enjoy a life of travel, adventure, creativity, and how to turn their passion for travel into a free, flowing income stream that can lead them to financial freedom. 

Whether it’s hiking through the Rocky Mountains or getting away and enjoying a weekend at a cabin in the woods, or exploring the culture and romance of Paris, I can teach you how to write your way to handsome paychecks and earn hefty perks for sharing your traveling experiences.

Values: When it comes to my travel writing business, the values I live by are integrity, accountability, transparency, humility, and dependability. For instance, let me ask you this: Have you ever wondered if an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean is really “all-inclusive”? Could there be hidden cost involved?

Well, those are the kinds of things I’m referring to when I talk about integrity and transparency.  If I’ve been to a certain luxurious destination or vacation spot, you can trust that I know the answers to those (and many other) questions, and will publish them here as a means to keep you informed.

​Writer's Background

Travel Writer and Creative Entrepreneur

Brief Bio - William Ballard, MBA is an international best-selling author, public speaker, leadership expert, highly sought after business strategist and marketing consultant, freelance direct-response copywriter, digital marketing specialist, social media manager, photographer, and CEO and founder of William Ballard Enterprise, LLC, but most of all his is a devout servant of the Most High.

William's value-driven spirit, collegiate background, and professional expertise makes him a top leader in his field; and a travel writer worth following. He has contributed articles to such publications as  Entrepreneur, Writer’s Digest, Writers Weekly, Wealthy Web Writer, THRIVE Global, Travel Post Monthly, Great Escape Publishing just and so much more. 

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​External Environment Analysis

In the personal development space there is a lot of talk about how the external environment is nothing more than a reflection or manifestation of what is going on internally. However, in the business world, it is the external environment that influences the internal.

In the business world, there is a thing called a PEST Analysis, which is a technique used to analyze an organization’s general (external) environment. It involves looking at four types of factors, namely: 1) Political, 2) Economic, 3) Social, and 4) Technological.

All of these factors play some role in how a business operates, but specifically when it comes to the Travel Writing Industry, these are the following three major general environmental factors:  

• Political Demographics
• Social and Cultural Differences
• Economic factors

When it comes to these specific factors, as well as the misconceptions people have about how much it cost to travel, here are two key forces that drive my desire to be a travel writer:

• The social and culture differences are some of the most important things that inspire and motivate me to want to travel and share my adventures with you (my readers).
• I am also driven by the need to educate and inform others that going on your dream vacation really doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

​Internal Environment Analysis

Now that we understand that a business’s internal environment is influenced by its external forces, in this section I will share with you what makes up the internal environment of my travel writing business.

SWOT Analysis -- A SWOT analysis involves four specific areas, 1) Strengths, 2) Weaknesses, 3) Opportunities, and 4) Threats.

My strengths as a travel writer involve my ability to write persuasively to educate appropriately.  My weaknesses are only limited to the areas I have not been able to travel to, which ushers us into the category of opportunities.

I am part of a community of travel writers and photographers that host local and worldwide trips monthly and annually – these are just some of the opportunities that are open to me.

Plus, other opportunities consist of being able to meet new people (i.e.  Political leaders, celebrities, and foreign nationals), as well as the open-mindedness to try new things -- such as new foods and activities.

Finally, the only “threats” are locations and destinations that are not open to travelers, tourist, or more specifically -- travel writers.

Resources -- As a travel writer, I am equipped with the following resources:

• Laptop
• A digital camera
• Network of contacts at different publications and collaborative partnerships with graphic designers, photographers, and content creators

Core Competencies – I possess graduate level degrees in business which means I’m an expert in business strategy and market research. I also possess certifications in direct-response style copywriting, and specialize in a handful of digital marketing disciplines such as:

• Email Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Customer Acquisition
• Customer Value Optimization
• Social Media and Community Management

​Strategic Recommendations

Every company or organization is driven by three core objectives, or long-term goals. They are meant to be BIG and require several years to accomplish. Plus, they are meant to be strictly interwoven together with a company’s overall mission and vision. With that said…

Core Objectives: The three long-term objectives for my travel writing business (and for this blog) are as followed:

1. Implement a focused strategy approach to develop new partnerships with local small business owners, publication editors, and local creative specialist, such as designers, photographers, social media influencers, and content creators, as well as strengthen current relationships. 
2. I aim to increase the quality of my photography tools and resources in order to provide better quality images for you (my readers) -- as well as for our clients.
3. The last long-term chief-aim of mine is to increase my social media following and blog subscribers from 10,000+ to 100,000 by the end of 2021.

​Strategic Implementation Plan

“It has been said that a failure to plan is a plan to fail, but even worse than that… To plan and fail to work (implement) that plan is nothing more than a waste of time.” – William Ballard

It has also been said that it is impossible to plan for everything that could possibly happen. However, such a truth does not excuse the neglect of planning. With that said, every strategic implementation plan is given specific guidelines in order to complete, such as objectives, functional tactics, action items, milestones or deadlines, task and task ownership, as well as resource allocations.

Another truth is: It doesn’t matter how thought-out a plan is, a plan means nothing if it is not put to work (implemented). In fact, it was James who told us, “Faith without works is dead.” Faith being the dream and overall vision of your business, and the works being what you do to make your dream a reality. As it has been said, “Plan the work, then work the plan.”

To that end, it is important to be clear on objectives, as well as task and actions necessary to achieve those objectives by their deadlines.

Short-Term Objectives – It is important to not get these objectives or goals confused with the three core objectives we just mentioned above. However, these short-term goals are meant to gradually move us closer to achieving our three core objectives.

It is also important to understand that although there are three-core objectives, there is really not a specific number has to how many short-term goals you can have.

Therefore, my short-term goals are as followed:

1. Write and publish one new article a week here on the blog
2. Pitch (or query) at least five new article ideas to online pubs and magazines a month
3. Take one day a week to focus on the photography division of our business (which encompasses going out into the field and taking photos and coming home and editing those photos)
4. Implement specific lead-generation strategies for increasing our blog subscriber list (readership) as well as social media following.

Side Note: In reference to the first core objective above, I'm experiencing a high demand for sponsored post by specific business owners. Because my readers, followers, and overall business is growing, these business owners are beginning to realize just how valuable our audience really is – how valuable YOU really are!

To that end, I'm going to be capitalizing on this demand and strengthening my professional relationships with these businesses (both large and small). What this means for you is that there will be a certain number of sponsored post published each month. Each sponsored post will contain affiliate links that will provide a commission to us in support of our relationship with these merchants or vendors through each sell or new lead that comes into these partnered business's sales funnels. 

This can also be viewed as a way for you (our readers) to support the work that is being done here. With that said, you can rest assured that only businesses and products that we highly recommend (and often use our self) are being promoted or presented to you, our audience.

(Additional Side Note: We'll also be posting annual and quarterly goals in separate posts as they come. This way you (our readers) can look forward to helping and supporting us as we grow and accomplish our objectives)

Action Items – Now that we have an idea of what our short-term goals are, the action items we are setting for ourselves is to pitch at least five travel article ideas a week, and posting two new travel photography products (fine art, stock, etc.) a day on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).

​Conclusion

In closing, as we aim to maintain a strategic approach to improving and developing our business, and retain a value-driven spirit that is focused on living out the vision and mission of this whole enterprise through a spirit of excellence. To that end, there is no reason why we wouldn't be able to achieve our core objectives.

As we continue to remain focused on the main purpose of this business – its purpose for being -- as well as having a driven and unwavering desire to serve our readers, customers, and clients, we will continue to grow and strengthen our position within this industry and the markets we serve.

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