What is business success? Is it about lucrative financial gains or about building something for your children to one day operate? Perhaps it's about making a difference in your community, or creating the very best product or service on the market or simply doing something you love to do. Most likely, you'll quantify success in many ways. It isn't difficult to envision what you want out of your business, but how will you get there? There are many common steps you can take - and missteps you should avoid - on your pathway to prosperity. Key to your success is having a business plan in place. Whether you're about to launch a start-up or you've been in business for years, your business' direction is guided by your business plan. To begin the planning process, you'll need to do some critical analysis; business planning is about realistically forecasting where your business is going.