23 Hours to a Great Marketing Plan The countdown has started: With these simple steps, you're less than a day away from creating marketing magic.

While some entrepreneurs crow that they have achieved success without a marketing plan, such businesses are more likely to waste marketing dollars and not have a true sense of where their promotional budgets are yielding the best results. Just as a winning football team always goes onto the field with a solid game plan, your business needs to have an outline of how to reach out to prospective customers in order to succeed.

If the word plan makes you sweat, fear not. It's possible to create a simple, effective marketing plan in less than 24 hours. By following a series of steps, you will be able to schedule your marketing activities into your everyday routine and reach your growth goals that much sooner.

Hour 1: Take Stock
Before you map out where you want your marketing plan to take you, you need to figure out where you are right now. How is your business positioned in the market? Is this how prospective customers see you? You may want to ask some of them for their feedback. Be as objective as possible, and write four or five paragraphs that summarize your business, including its philosophy, strengths and weaknesses. Don't worry if it's not neatly organized--it's more important to get everything down on paper.