A strategic plan is an essential business document. Your plan is the framework your business will follow, to achieve the sales, growth and profitability it wants. For a business to flourish, it needs a roadmap, with milestones along the way, to indicate it’s on the right path. It would also be nice to know that you’re working in a way that will help set you up for future success too, so you’re able to have sustainable, long term growth. Luckily, your strategic plan is designed to do all of those things and more.
There is no readymade solution – you need your own plan
But if you want those things, you need to stop looking for a readymade solution! Not all businesses are the same. You can use the same strategic framework to create a plan, but your strategic plan needs to be unique to you. It’s a plan that highlights where you want to put your focus and your money, as well as your time and resources. And to do that, it needs to be based on your priorities, your projects and your goals.
A strategic plan shows where you’re headed
Your strategic plan is your roadmap. It can cover the next year, or the next five – it’s up to you. But what’s important is it covers everything you want to do during that time. You then have a clear direction and a plan to get you there.
You know what to focus on
Not all projects are equal either. Luckily, your plan shows you where to put your focus and attention. And by using a clear framework to create it, you know it also only gives you the projects that are going to have a positive impact on your business. A strategic plan helps your entire team know what they need to focus on too. They know where your business is headed and how they can help it get there. It pulls your team together and unites them for a common cause.
Your business has a sense of purpose
When everyone in the business know’s where you’re headed and what they need to focus on, they know how they fit in. More importantly, they can see how they matter. Their role becomes part of a bigger picture, and they’re more likely to care about their part in helping the business reach its goals. If you want to create a strategic plan for your business, you need to start by getting clear on your business vision, mission and values. Once you have them, you’ll know what objectives to focus on, in order to make progress on your goals. You’ll also be able to use your vision, mission and values to help you decide which projects, ideas and plan will support your goals – and which ones won’t. You can then add them to your strategic plan and start breaking them down into actionable steps. I appreciate not everyone is great at working on strategies and plans – and that’s ok! As a Certified Director of Operations, I identify the projects, milestones, tasks and actions your business needs to support growth. I can work with you to create a clear plan of action for your business to follow, to achieve your business goals. So if you’d like to explore how I can help you get your strategic plan in place, head here to book in a coffee chat with me & see how together, we can create a Strategic Map for your business, so you have clarity, focus, direction for Quarter 4. On the other hand, if you want to jump right in a purchase a strategic planning session, go here Let’s get the ball rolling.
