Spanx and why your business needs good lingerie

I ordered two pairs of Spanx from America the other week. For anyone that has never heard of Spanx they are like a longer higher version of Bridget Jones mummy undies. Think really thick stockings in the style of high waisted (I’m talking way up on your ribs high) bike shorts.

So very unattractive on their own.

They are however incredibly necessary undergarments. If you are wearing a silky dress that clings and shows every bump, bra and underwear line then spanx will smooth all this out so there is no lines and ridges. They are also genius for white dresses, white pants, white jumpsuits, white anything! A bonus for those of us over 30 is that they also lift anything that needs lifting. Love a handy side effect.

Now they’re not everyday underwear. Way too much work getting them on (and did I mention how unattractive they are?) Instead they’re the weekly or fortnightly or monthly, special outfit underwear.

So what does a pair of Spanx have to do with your business?

Foundational underwear may seem an unnecessary option but they are always going to make your special clothes fit and fall so much better. In the same way the foundational work in your business is also potentially boring and unappealing (unless you are an accountant). But also incredibly necessary to make your business achieve its full potential.

So what is the business version of Spanx? They are the foundational plans that you lay. The business plan and budget. These may seem seriously unsexy things but without them your business can never live up to its full potential. It will never look its best.

Maybe you created one of these documents when you first started out, when you were excited and inspired and have never referred to it since. That’s about as useful as me putting the Spanx in my underwear drawer and never wearing them. Or you thought about creating one of these plans but it seemed too hard. That’s like Kate Hudson walking the red carpet in a gorgeous gown with serious VPL (visible panty line for the uninitiated). Her stylist would never let her get out the car and her ridiculously expensive dress would suddenly seem very ordinary!

In the same way that I don’t don my Spanx everyday, you won’t revisit your foundational documents everyday. I suspect if you did it would be a big waste of time and resources. Weekly, fortnightly or monthly however is a must.

Don’t waste time getting your business looking amazing only to have it come undone by your lack of creating (and regularly referring to) your foundation documents. Too hard? Well just like there are stylists for clothes, there are professionals that can assist with creating business plans and budgets for you.

Be the good friend that grabs you before you walk out of the door with VPL for YOUR business. Spend time this fortnight creating the ‘live’ business plan and budget that will make your business look amazing and show it off to its full potential. You're worth it, right?!