Avoiding the premature death or chronic under-performance of your mediation business requires the exercise of the managerial arts, of which perhaps the singly most valuable is planning . The benefits of planning, which include improved commitment to company goals and objectives and better monitoring of financial performance, are more easily attained if each planning cycle results in a written business plan or the revision and updating of the existing plan. Mediation is a part-time activity that supplements income. Mediation is a secondary service, such as when marketed as part of a law practice. Mediation is part of a governmental of community service.
Mediation is a means to further other business objectives.
Whether your goal is one, none, or some combination of the above, the way you organize, operate, and market your business follows directly from your goals and objectives. For example, it shouldn't come as surprise when you don't make a lot of money if your goal, unconscious or otherwise, is to operate the business as a subsidized community service enterprise. Thus, an important component of planning is matching your background to your services. Your level of enthusiasm for the work you do is readily apparent to prospects and is an effective marketing tool. Therefore, it's important not to confuse the ability to offer a service with the desirability of offering that service.