The Basics of Strategic Planning
In the life cycle of starting, running, or growing a business there will be times when you'll need to make strategic plans. Here's an easy way to get started.
Clarify and share your thoughts: Think about the future of your business and where you'd like to take it. Write down all your ideas and sort them into categories such as financial, HR, or sales and marketing goals. Find someone to give you an objective opinion on these goals—hire a professional consultant, conduct an informal "focus group" with colleagues, or sit down with a mentor and ask for honest feedback.
Shape your ideas into a plan: Once you've done your homework, flesh out your ideas and shape them into a written plan (or have a consultant do it for you). An easy way to do this is to list your overall goals, support each goal with a number of objectives, support each objective with a list of specific tasks, and give each task a deadline.
Stay accountable: Before you put your plan away and get back to work, schedule some deadlines on your calendar to ensure that you stay on track. Deadlines could be a quarterly status meeting with your consultant, a retreat for you and your staff six months out, or a promise from your mentor to ask you about your plans at the end of the year.
Strategic planning is the backbone of every successful business. It takes time and effort, but it's work that can yield big results.
— Jennifer Kane, principal, Kane Consulting: 612-216-4697 / kaneconsulting@gmail.com