Entrepreneurial consultant Keesha Gibson recently released her tell-all guide to starting a business with purpose and structure, Don't Dream It, Plan It! How to Write a Highly Effective Plan for Your Business. With so many small businesses destined to fail from preventable mistakes, Gibson’s work is an essential read for anyone pursuing a new venture.

In Don’t Dream It, Plan It!, Gibson offers a step-by-step roadmap to developing a solid business plan with start-up requirements, growth projections, and other key points that drive a successful initial launch. While many business owners understand how to keep an existing business in operation, creating a company from scratch can follow an entirely different process. An effective business plan can also help entrepreneurs obtain funding and attract investor interest. Don’t Dream It, Plan It! teaches readers how to maintain a “living document” that can evolve with them over time as they transition from the initial stages into the day-to-day operations of a long-term undertaking.

In the middle of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to an unexpected boom in new business applications in the United States as an increasing number of people began searching for ways to work remotely and generate more financial opportunities. Driven by furloughs and layoffs, many of these new entrepreneurs dove into business without any meaningful direction. They would later fail.

While writing Don’t Dream It, Plan It!, Gibson drew upon her own experiences to highlight common mistakes and roadblocks that face new business owners, especially those from marginalized backgrounds. Although Gibson’s insightful work applies to all new business owners, she places special emphasis on uplifting BIPOC entrepreneurs ages 18–45. 

As Gibson aptly notes, BIPOC and marginalized entrepreneurs not only need to build support for their businesses—they must also fight for credibility and equal access to resources.With 50% of new businesses shuttering their doors by year five, Gibson’s work provides direction and stability at a critical juncture. Don’t Dream It, Plan It! urges readers to consider the journey instead of focusing too heavily on the end goal. 

Keesha Gibson is the owner of Gibson Consulting & Solutions LLC, a business development agency that works with companies ranging from small startups to charitable organizations. To find out more about Gibson and her agency, please head over to www.kgibsonllc.com. With over 25 years of industry experience, she is an experienced leader and strategic services professional.