If you want to grow your business, what is the first step you should take? Create a marketing plan! Even if your idea has "wow" potential, you need a plan to guide you. You must be able to anticipate future events and have strategies for achieving your business objectives. The process of creating a marketing plan forces you to define specific objectives and appropriate actions, which helps you anticipate environmental changes and compares actual results with expectations and goals. Using the marketing plan as a reference point makes you aware of potential problems and possible opportunities.