A written business plan will help you define your objectives and apply them to your company.
 
Preparing Your Business Plan
A good business plan tells people about you and your proposed operation. It shows how you will implement your plans and ideas. It states your mission, which is to build a working company using your specific knowledge and resources. It demonstrates why it will be profitable. Done right, it will be an invaluable tool for you and those who work with you.

Small businesses often start without a written plan — not a good idea! You can use it to help you define strategies that will make money for you. As a home business owner you often work entirely on your own so learning how to control and manage your company is essential. Each activity you do should bring you closer to this goal.
 
Setting Goals
The goals you set for your business are both short and long term. Well thought out long term goals let you define the shape and direction of your business. From the outset you should:

~ Make sure what you sell fits your chosen marketplace.
~ Be able to put together the resources needed to serve this market.
~ Be able to manage your business once the resources are in place.
~ Understand what is involved in balancing your business and domestic life.
~ Know your business well enough to strengthen it and make it grow.
~ Focus on the profits you intend to achieve in your business. 
 
Short-term goals identify the things that must be done to get you up and running. They are expressed in specific and measurable terms. Putting them in place will help you:

~ Develop a step-by-step plan to organize all aspects of your home business.
~ Allocate the space, facilities, money, time, and help you’ll need to get started.
~ Understand and manage the resources that will flow in and out of your business.
~ Meet and work with your future customers, suppliers, professional advisors, etc.
~ Understand quality control and apply it to all phases of your business operations.
~ Evaluate your progress at regular intervals.