Some people just seem born to succeed

Some people just seem born to succeed. Take Waqas Baggia, for instance. He launched his first business when he was only 18 years old. He ran a business while attending college. He has diplomas in Real Estate and Marketing, and recently got his MBA with a specialty in Strategy. And now he's running his own digital media company, Kreative Iron. All this, and he's still under 30.

Kreative Iron specialises in graphics and Web design, as well as photography, print services, and online games for social media. Baggia's personal interest in entrepreneurship -- he represented the UK at the G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit in Toronto in the summer of 2010 -- steers his company's approach to doing business. Kreative Iron actively supports entrepreneurship by providing bespoke professional design with monthly payment plans. "Professional branding provides start-ups with the best first impression; however, most entrepreneurs cannot justify investing in their branding when there are other areas of the business that require investment", he comments.

Prior to launching Kreative Iron, Baggia knew he needed to come up with financial projections, marketing plans, and an overall business plan. He remembered back to his college days, when he got a copy of Business Plan Pro for one of his courses. He ended up using the software for his business at the time, and he decided to use it again to put together the plan for Kreative Iron.

"The functionality and ease of use of Business Plan Pro saved numerous hours we would normally have wasted formatting" the plan, Baggia says. "The template and online resource portal was one of the most valuable resources to us".

Most people find doing the financial forecasts to be the hardest part of finishing a business plan, and Baggia is no exception. But he says Business Plan Pro made the financials much easier. "Business Plan Pro has built-in checks to ensure your business plan is credible. Furthermore, it highlights when there will be cash flow shortfalls. It also provides all the key formulas built in, so all that is required is to input figures and it takes care of all the calculations". Baggia added that he regularly goes back to his plan and updates his forecasts, making course corrections a regular part of managing his business.

Even an MBA can learn something from the planning process, Baggia says. "When we sat down and looked at our projections, we were able to identify when we would need to hire more staff and, most importantly, when we could afford to. The planning process helps you visualise where you want to take your company and the feasibility if it can actually be delivered".

Baggia was named a Future Talent-Budding Entrepreneur by StridingOut, in 2009, and has good advice for others who may be following in his footsteps. "The most exciting part of being an entrepreneur is the freedom and control you have in developing and implementing your own ideas" he says. But he also suggests running those ideas by a management team or other experts before forging ahead. As final words of wisdom, Baggia recommends anyone thinking of starting a new business should learn time management skills, be persistent, keep costs low, and most of all, be passionate about your business.

If that's what got Baggia where he is at such a young age, it's advice worth listening to.