Strategic Planning Information
Business Planning and the "Bozo" Factor
"Bozo" - A clown with a forlorn look, always finding negative implications in every activity or event. A person who tries to find a way to prevent you from moving ahead, giving excuses such as "we've always done it this way, or this is not our culture" when presented a new opportunity or challenge.
Thinking Like A Farmer
One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized age is the fact we've lost our sense of seasons. Unlike the farmer whose priorities change with the seasons, we have become impervious to the natural rhythm of life.
Business Ideas: 3 Smart Ways To Generate Profitable Business Ideas Anytime
Creativity is one of the greatest tools for success in business.All businesses are created first by ideas.
Business Strategy Planning Made Easy
Ask Yourself three simple questions that affect your strategy planning..
More Uses for Your Business Plan
You have invested a lot of time and energy on writing a business plan just to get a loan or to attract an investor. What do you do when you get the money or, worse, should you be turned down?Do you just file it away? That's like investing in a boat that remains parked in your driveway after its inaugural voyage.
6 Steps To Laying Out Your Competitive Strategy
Why do so many companies languish and watch as their business turns into a zero profit zone, while others seem to thrive?When you look at your business, whether it's a new venture or a company with a long history, can you answer the following questions?What does my company do better than anyone else?What unique value do I provide to my customers?How will I increase that value next year?Companies that fail to answer these questions, and don't believe they are of paramount importance, relegate themselves to marginal profitability at best and failure at worst. But companies that can answer these questions are able to raise the value bar for their customers and reap the benefits of success.
Is Your Company Growing Fast Enough for You?
Are you frustrated by the lack of growth in your firm, or the effort required to squeeze any up-tick in performance? Are inadequate policies and procedures a root cause? To find out, take this simple self assessment to see if this may be inhibiting real growth at your company.Q.
Becoming Wise - Wild & Free - Writing A Successful Business Plan - Part 2 - Do It In Steps
So you've decided to write your own business plan because you know the value that the experience will give you. With the books and software that are out there today you can probably sit down and complete the plan in a day or so, right? Plug in the numbers, add the notes, write the whole narrative (story), print it and get it out to the banks or investors.
Hunters and Gatherers - Are You Serving Both Their Needs?
The University of Exeter in the United Kingdom recently published research financed by Barclays Bank, which has implications for everyone who is serving the general population.This research shows that consumers shop establishments based on one of the two personal profiles.
Top 10 Tips to Create A Business Plan! (For People Who Hate Business Plans)
One of the key challenges for any business is to remain focused and invest resources for maximum pay-off. It's said that 80% of a business's activity accounts for only 20% of total profits.
Writing Your Business Plan is Actually Storytelling
Storytelling and writing a business plan actually go hand in hand. The same ingredients used in telling a story are also used in writing a business plan.
How to Start A Business Plan
A business plan precisely defines your business, identifies your goals, and serves as your firm's resume. The basic components include a current and pro forma balance sheet, an income statement, and a cash flow analysis.
The Power of Planning
I am surprised how few sales professionals, independent consultants, and small business owners take the time to plan the strategy for their business. Most people spend more time writing out a grocery list or planning a vacation than they do planning the direction or outcome of their business.
When Do I Need To Hire A Business Plan Consultant
Every new business owner knows that a business plan is critical - it is drilled into them by potential investors and every banking officer they meet. So why is something that is so important to the launch of a new venture so difficult to write? Good question! In this article I will try to address when you should go out and hire a business plan writer versus taking on the task yourself.
The Chief Cause of Business Failure & Success
Business rises and falls on leadership. According to business guru, Brian Tracy, "Leadership is the most important single factor in determining business success or failure in our competitive, turbulent, fast-moving economy.
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exitingMore Strategic Planning Information:
Related Articles
What is a Shared Vision?
So what makes a vision successful? Everyday companies try to create a vision that will lead them into the future but seldom does that vision ever impact the organization. The reason for this is that the vision is created by a few and never becomes a 'shared vision' of the entire organization.
Insurance Requirements in Franchised Companies
Franchised companies often require what some believe to be excessive insurance requirements. This is because so often if a franchise is sued for any reason that the Lawyers go after the big money of the franchisors and name them in the lawsuit.
How To Kick Start Your Business And Double Your Profits
This will make some people angry as hell, but it's time to debunk the myth of 'Time Management' while sharing the real secret of the super successful.Let's face it, many so called "business gurus" tell us to 'manage time better' or to become 'ruthless with time' if we want to achieve their level of success.
A Backup To The Internet Is Vital & Now Cost Effective
It doesn't take a Terrorist Act, Tsunami or Earthquake to put a business heavily dependent on the internet in the dark and effectively out of business??for hours or even days into weeks.Actually, a misguided backhoe, a lightning bolt, a car accident involving a phone pole or cable box, a flooding rain or an electrical "brown out" can do it in a flash.
Business Ideas: 3 Smart Ways To Generate Profitable Business Ideas Anytime
Creativity is one of the greatest tools for success in business.All businesses are created first by ideas.
5 Strategies That Will Boost Your Business Productivity Today! - Part 1
Building a dynamic small business is a constantly evolving, increasingly demanding role.It is very easy to get so caught up in the day to day running of our business that we neglect to take the time to look from the outside in to see what we could do to improve our profitability!Well here are 5 Strategies that could boost your productivity overnight!They are not rocket science?and you may have even heard some of them before, but they are 5 proven principles that you can review today to help you stay on track regarding the real issues to grow your business from here.
Attributes of Companies You Dont Want to Buy!
There are no "rules of thumb" in the pursuit of companies to
buy. Each purchase opportunity has to stand on its own merits.
TQM Total Quality Management, the book
Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word to describe the things we should be doing right all the time. Forever we have heard our parents or grandparents use little phrases to get our attention.
Making a Decision to Outsource: Strategic Constraints
Many companies are reluctant to dive into outsourcing ocean because of various reasons of strategic nature. As far as strategic goals are touched upon, managers are concerned with the following issues:- Risks and dangers of transferring too much managerial power to one partner.
Documenting the Exit Strategy in Your Business Plan
All investors greatly desire and are motivated by a clear picture of a company's exit strategy, or the timing and method through which they can "cash in" on their investment. This picture best comes into focus when the key valuation and liquidity drivers of the company are clearly delineated.
Menu Driven Business Planning
A menu is the foundation of any restaurant; Guests will support or avoid a restaurant for its food. Starting with a preliminary menu is a simple and basic approach to restaurant development.
The Best Entity to Hold Real Estate
Possibly THE most frequently asked question of me is "What is the best business entity to use for real-estate investments?" My recommendation to most people is that a limited liability company (an "LLC") is the best entity for this type of use. Here's why:-- Excellent liability protection for managers and members-- Flow-through tax treatment on LLC profits and losses-- Ability to transfer properties in and out of an LLC with minimal tax consequences-- Personal Asset Protection through the Charging Order procedure (for Nevada LLCs)Liability Protection.
Designing an Efficient Distribution System
Let us look at a few of the big distribution networks in the US that we use today. The US Post Office for instance is a huge complex chain of symbiotic relations ships with vendors to deliver by truck, work with FED EX for air, previously that airmail idea started commercial aviation.
Vision Getting Dim?
A recent conversation started with a typical question, "How's business?"
The reply was equally typical and prefaced by a sigh, "You know (another sigh), same old / same old."Clearly the person responding has "VCD" or "Vision Challenge Disorder.
Online Promotion: 10 Ways To Use Focus Groups To Ignite Your Profits
A focus group is a group of employees or current
customers that discuss and brainstorm new ways
to improve different parts of your business.Below are online promotion secrets to use focus
groups for marketing intelligence.
Corporate Venturing For Emerging Growth Companies
The boom of the dot-com era in 1999 brought the emergence of
corporate venture capital as a major source of funding to the
private equity markets. Corporate venture investments peaked
in the third quarter of 2000 with 608 deals totaling a combined
$4.
How To Get More Business During The Winter Months
Business seems to drop, slow or even stop during the winter months. As tourist traffic slows or stops during the winter months so does the incomes of many local business owners.
Why Create an Annual Plan?
Can you imagine going on a road trip without knowing your destination? Or, building your house without plans? The same can be said about running your business without a plan.They say that "If you don't know where you are going, any road will do.
Elite Positioning Brings Higher Profits
Imagine spending the same amount of money on marketing and
performing the same amount of work to deliver your products
or services, but earning more money and keeping more after
your expenses. That's what happens when you institute
elite positioning for your business.
Why 9 in 10 Businesses are Overspending on Day-to-day Expenses
Experts estimate that 90 percent of Australian businesses are overspending on day-to-day expenses, by as much as 75 percent in some cost categories!Looked at the operating costs of your business lately? You might be surprised at the savings that can be gained with a systematic approach to cutting costs.The easiest way to lift profits is to cut the fat out of costs.