Your Strategic Planning
and Doing Kit
Business Planning
In the past, you may have created a business plan because you just started your business, had a downturn, or just thought it would be helpful to your business. No matter what your reason was in the past, it is easy to think you do not need to plan this year.
But a lot can happen in your business even in one year: your priorities may have shifted, you may have added new products, key staff may have been added or moved on. Your business may need to take a different course now, which means your long‐range plan does not reflect those changes. You need to think clearly about moving in a new direction.
Business strategy means having a long-range plan and milestones that help you achieve your goals. It should be something you do every year.
Annual planning is a critical process for the success of your business. Yes, it is work, and sometimes, it is a lot of work. But done right, planning will help you focus on where you want to go, where you are now, and what actions are needed to get you there. Additionally, the process will help you identify if you are on track as you work through your plan.
As you work on your plan each year, you look to the future and measure how far you have come. That is part of the process, particularly if your plan includes more than 12 months.
Planning is most often best when it uses the power of collaborative results. So, we invite you to get as many people in the company as reasonable to participate in your annual planning. Some great ideas come from people whose hands are closest to the work.
As a small business owner, you may dream of financial independence, the freedom of spending your time as you wish, being your own boss, or feeling content by filling a void in the market. Unfortunately, many go‐getters do not know what is in store as they venture forward to implement their brilliant ideas. Still, they know they want to go into business for themselves.
However, sometimes, owning a business is more daunting than you imagined. Luckily, by focusing on consistent, workable, and strategic planning, you can take control of your business and grow your dream into a successful reality.
Guidelines for Strategic Success
Whether you are a small or large business, both need strategic planning. The GR8 Results System has five phases; you need all to help you succeed.
- Create Your COMPASS: You develop or revise your foundation—Purpose, Core Values, Brand Promise, Leader Behaviors, and Strategy (how you will fulfill your Purpose).
- Analyze Your Current Reality: You determine where you are and then assess if your strategy needs to be revised.
- Create Your Strategic Plan: Your plan to fulfill your Purpose in 4 areas—Customers, Employees, Financials, and Operations (or your preferred categories). 1) Identify clear goals (THERE) for each. 2) Define where you are now (HERE) for each. 3) Determine the best ideas/objectives (PATH) for each to help you get THERE.
- Align Your People: Help individuals align their BIG 3 with the strategic plan.
- Execute Your Strategic Plan: Follow a clear process that allows you to create clear actions, clear progress measures, and clear progress monitoring.
There is art and science in the process. The more you follow the GR8 Results System, the more you structure your thinking to see business as a creative process. You will notice areas or structures you can improve each year you follow the system.
The entire system has a foundation of three elements.
- THP (THERE, HERE, PATH)
- ALA (Act, Learn, Adjust)
- PERSIST
Those three elements are the essence of the creative process, described in detail in Phase 4: Align Your People.
Importance of Strategic Planning
Turning your vision into reality requires a healthy, realistic approach and a well‐crafted path toward success. You need to think clearly about where you want your business to go. When you set concrete performance measures, you create clear expectations for yourself and the organization. Those expectations help you create a workable plan to achieve them.
This strategic planning system is crucial for success, but it takes work. And it takes discipline to do it consistently. Unfortunately, this is tough for most small businesses. In this strategic planning kit, you will see a planning process that works for small and large companies. When you follow these guidelines, you give your business the best chance to thrive.
Finally, some of this document is in outline form to make it easier to focus on specific content, provide the information as clearly as possible, and make it easier to develop your plan.
So, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Business Planning
Phase 1: Create Your COMPASS
Phase 2: Analyze Your Current Reality
Phase 3: Create Your Strategic Plan
Phase 4: Align Your People
Phase 5: Execute Your Strategic Plan
Appendix