The opportunity to receive direct support in creating a service (income) plan is a gift, not an entitlement.​ If you do attend this conference and stay on track with our progress through the Steps and the other topics we cover via our conference materials and in our workshops, when we complete Step 5 and reach Step 6, you will be offered this gift (see below for other qualifications). Once you complete your Step work with us, you might then go on to further develop your business plan with clear directions and a functioning template.

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Qualifications for receiving 4+ hours of direct one-to-one guidance on your service (income) plan from a fellow BDA member, who has taken the Steps and developed their own service plan (for their business) with us and has also registered for the current conference cycle:

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• At least two months solvent

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• Completed first five Steps in this conference with a Step guide or sponsor who is also leading you through familiarization with the rest of the DA and BDA program

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• Must be a DA and / or BDA member, recovering from debting with money (and leaving out other money-, time-, income-, and earning-related programs and services) — this qualification is non-negotiable, we actively discourage the breaking of DA's Traditions and cross-pollination of programs

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• Willingness and ability to surrender to the process of developing your plan, following the instructions of the workshop leader (or another volunteer plan guide who developed their business plan in a previous conference hosted by our group) over 4 or 5 one-to-one meetups, that is often 4-6 hours of volunteer (unpaid) coaching for you and your business

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• Access to support, other than your service planning guide, for your emotional needs during the planning process, including your need to discuss and process your resistance to surrendering to a more-experienced BDA member's guidance and leadership (your plan guide is for business and spiritual support, not for emotional support, and should not be expected to work through your resistance with you)

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• Willingness to present your plan to the conference participant group, including allowing your plan and goals document to be shared as a pdf via email to registered participants only (we will work together to protect your and your business' anonymity)​

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• Commitment to completing an end of conference survey by the requested date

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Here's the business planning template workbook we recommend using, in general, and especially for this conference. We've also prepared some helpful guidance for business planning. For this conference, we will help with service (income) planning. That is, business planning through gross profit including: revenue generation; cost of goods sold; time planning; price setting; early marketing planning; and goal setting. We suggest service (income) planning for one full year, beginning on the first day of the next calendar quarter. We will begin planning in mid to late March and September this year and would suggest those plans would be for one year, beginning on July 1 and January 1, respectively.

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Before getting started on your service (income) plan, you will likely want to prepare your personal spending plan for the rest of 2024, if you haven't already. That plan will inform your salary and benefit needs in your service (income) plan. Here's the personal planning template workbook we recommend using, in general, and especially for this conference. We've also prepared some helpful guidance for personal planning.

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As support for service (income) planning, we will be studying each of the BDA tools during alternating weeks of Fellowship Drop-in. Please see that page for  more details. Fellowship Drop--in is also where we will be "workshopping" service (income) plans, giving everyone an opportunity to provide feedback on every plan we develop together. More support and encouragement for you and your business.

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Lastly, please note that this offer of planning guidance and help is meant to be a carrot, not a stick. If you are not qualified for planning during your first conference cycle with us, come back for another one. The qualifications we set above are based on our our group's 5th Tradition message: Solvency first, Steps second, everything else third or later. Please don't ask us to override these qualifications; we won't.

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Here's our standard timing for "workshopping" our fellow BDA members' service (income) plans during Fellowship Drop-in, one plan per drop-in, beginning sometime in April and October, respectively:

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• 20 minutes — Review of the service (income) plan and goals document by its BDA member, including a 5-minute BDA qualification (Suggested format: What did it take for you to get solvent? What did it take for you to take the Steps, at least through Step 5? What are DA and BDA recovery contributing to your life and work today?)

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• 3 minutes — Feedback and input from workshop leader (or other planning guide)

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• 10 minutes — Q&A with BDA member about their plan (we can add 5 more minutes of Q&A if needed)

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• 12 minutes — Feedback and input from conference participants (up to 1 timed minute each if  more than 6 participants, up to 2 minutes each if 6 or fewer) — What we are seeking here is experience, strength, and hope when our fellows have pursued similar goals, visions, and service (income) plans or have taken similar actions as those being discussed. We are not looking for advice, and this is not a time to ask more questions. This is time to encourage and support our fellow BDA members as they move their businesses forward with an annual one-year service (income) plan with definable and accountable goals and targets.  

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• 2 minutes — Wrap-up comments from our workshop leader (or planning guide)

 

• 3 minutes — Wrap-up comments and gratitude from the presenting BDA member

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