did Judith Krantz ever do a business plan?

…………we think not.

we just want to write-and-take-pictures *pouts*

so we stopped doing a silly business plan (there’s no Planning – one just writes – gets an agent or cleverly becomes Ones Own Press and gets the material out into the world and puts a price on it and encourages people to buy it and then Writes Some MOre and More and More and More)

right?

(can you tell we’re frustrated?)

we were Drowning in Sample Business Plans and got Quite irritated with the questions about Product Lines and Market Analysis.

and then we thought (while admiring the Californian light filtering through the blinds)

did Joan Didion ever have a business plan?

did Judith Krantz ever have a business plan?

we think not.

did Jilly Cooper ever Complete a market analysis?

surely not!

although Leo may have sat her down and pointed out some basic accounting before the church fete that sunday but then she just went back to the study, followed by adoring dogs, a cup of Assam and settled down to write Some More and then go Up to London to See Her Agent (over lunch, of course, probably The Ivy or The Dorchester) and hand over the manilla envelope and then the books came out (said vaguely) a year or so later and she Took The Train back to London and spoke at a lunch at Foyles.

so that’s what we’d like to do, please.

and take photographs and do a tiny bit of very nice consulting for very nice people when required as who-we-are-in-RL

and have supper under twinkle lights in silver lake with fabulous-friends-and-their-illustrious-charming-fathers and Talk about Europe and Life and work and loveliness.

check (or Tick, as the British would say) on that one then.

ok.

here’s why we’re writing this.

we’re heading to (said vaguely) somewhere Over There to meet with a business advisor to get Everything Sorted (like California business license and the means to open a bank account to deposit the bloody gorgeous book advance) and we’re Terribly Nervous he’s (we’re sure it’s a chap) going to say “where’s your business plan?”

and we’re going to say brightly:

Jilly Cooper never had a business plan, darling man.

and then we’ll hand over the 7 x sheets (we Did do Some Homework) with Financials (sort of) and Our Questions and hope he’s Kind.

being Kind is the nicest thing in the world.

like you.

You are Very Kind.

*sweetsmile*

yes.

we’re Rather Apprehensive about doing this meeting as you can tell.

will you come with us?

in a virtual sense, of course (we don’t want to shock the local Small Business Administration as we all crowd into the waiting room with faded prints of summer days in Portofino and a modest sized watercooler).

oh, thank you.

that would be lovely.

we’ll drive.