Outside of Joorney, I don’t know many people who set out to be a Business Plan Writer as a profession. However, those who find themselves in the position are often surprised by how much they enjoy it, how much they learn, and how many opportunities are unlocked by the experience they gained.
It is an honor as Director of Operations to see others thrive and grow in this role but I also speak from firsthand experience. I was actually one of the first Business Plan Writers ever hired at Joorney. I was in that position for about a year, writing almost 100 business plans during that time. I also spent time as a Project Manager, supervising a team of anywhere from three to seven Business Plan Writers.
I’ve seen many Business Plan Writers grow within our company – myself included – but I’ve also seen many others use the experience to transition into a variety of other career paths. In either case, the skills and experience gained as a Business Plan Writer helped and paved the way.
A “Typical” Business Plan Writer
One of the best things about our team of Business Plan Writers is the diversity of backgrounds.
In terms of education, we have applicants from all fields. The majority have either economics or business-related degrees, followed by those with English language degrees. However, due to our all-around training that covers the basics and the details, the Business Plan Writer position is open to anyone.
Experience levels are also flexible and we have both junior-level and senior-level applicants. Some are looking to use their vast business and/or writing experiences, and others are looking for a first employment opportunity right out of college. In either case, anyone who joins the Joorney Family learns a tremendous amount.
Establishing a Broad Base of Business Knowledge Across Industries
There are many benefits of the Business Plan Writer position but one of the main ones is that writers are not limited at all in terms of industry nor in terms of project type.
Naturally, once a new writer joins the team, they will first work on what we consider comparatively less demanding projects. For example, they might be assigned business plans for restaurants, hair salons, fast food chains, etc., for which business models and organizational structures are relatively easy to grasp without extensive business plan writing experience.
As our new colleagues learn and improve both their skill and instinct in business planning, they get exposed to more complicated business models. This is a natural progression process at Joorney and, after a year or two, they might find themselves writing a business plan for a client in the robotics industry who is developing a product that doesn’t exist yet – and it’s pretty exciting to have an opportunity to be a part of something brand new!
The same logic applies to types of projects that Business Plan Writers work on – as writers grow, they get to work on more difficult and complex projects. But there is no industry or project type that is off limits! Frankly, we are very proud that we do not force heavy specialization among our employees – even though such specialization might be more efficient. Our current system helps our employees learn how virtually any business in the world functions. This is the key that unlocks so many opportunities.
Business Plan Writing Career Progression in Joorney
The first growth step for most Business Plan Writers is becoming a true BP writing expert – that is, moving from the entry-level Junior Business Plan Writer position to first a mid- and then a Senior Business Plan Writer. As this happens, writers simultaneously get exposure to a wider and wider variety of industries and project types to work on.
Once each of our writers is a business planning expert, there are multiple progression paths they can pursue. Here are the most common:
First, they can become a Project Manager and lead their own team of Business Plan Writers – this position includes beginning-to-end communication with our clients, as well as serving as the ultimate quality control checkpoint by reviewing and providing internal feedback on all the deliverables.
Second, they can become an Advisory Consultant and work on our advisory projects, which require providing our clients with advice, support, and insights both within and outside of the written deliverable.
Third, they can get passionate about a specific area of our business and gravitate towards another department, such as HR or Marketing. For example, we recently introduced a policy in which all our Senior Business Plan Writers spend about 10% of their work hours doing non-business planning work. Some notable examples of such work are recruitment support and content writing.
Business Plan Writing Prepares Employees for a Variety of Fields
The great thing about the experience gained by Business Plan Writers is that it allows for growth virtually anywhere. This comes from the fact that, at Joorney, all Business Plan Writers gain a complete picture of how businesses function. That is, they gain a bird’s-eye view of how any business is run.
This is why they can move to any business-related career after their time with Joorney. If they wish to work as a financial analyst or an auditor, they will certainly have a basic understanding of financial statements to build on. If they wish to jump into any kind of content work, they will have outstanding writing and English language skills to bring to their new position.
Whatever the business segment that they want to specialize in, they will have the knowledge to bring to the table, because they would have learned about that business segment while preparing business plans at Joorney.
The Experience Gained as a Business Plan Writer is Invaluable
Being a Business Plan Writer is hard but rewarding work. Those that embrace the position and give it their all will take away as much as, if not more than, they put in. This is not only in the form of transferable skills but also pure knowledge.
After a couple years as a Business Plan Writer at Joorney, a person will know how businesses operate in any industry. This allows them to progress within the company or prepare for a wide variety of other careers. And if they one day decide to open their own business, they will be able to, unlike many others, make an informed choice on what to jump into! The sheer number of business owners and executives they interact with, and get to learn from in terms of how they choose to set up and structure their businesses, is truly remarkable.
Regardless of what appeals most about the Business Plan Writer position, the overall experience gained is invaluable and adds potency to one’s skill set and career progression that not many other positions do.
