Strategic Planning
Every enterprise must have a Strategic Plan.
Strategic Planning is that process a business or any other enterprise goes through, often in the formative stages, and too often, after years of mediocre operations, to define its existence, determine its direction, and set its goals. It answers broad questions, like those below, and by doing so, sets both policy and procedure. It is never too late to create a Plan – and no, just because you have managed to operate for ten years without one is the equivalent of suggesting you have driven a car for ten years without using a map.
We are firm believers that if you keep doing things the way you have always done them, you will keep getting the results you have always gotten. Be creative or become extinct. This is equally applicable to Non-Profit organizations as those in business to make a profit, though, Non-Profit organizations are certainly allowed to make profits… they just have to ‘spend’ them differently.
We have substantial experience in the Non-Profit world and would be pleased to develop Plans for those operating within its restrictions. The answers, carefully reviewed and analyzed, provide your company with the roadmap to success:
What is your mission? (What is your goal?)
What is the product/service/editorial plan? (The focus/concept/ side.)
What is the financial plan? (The business side.)
What constitutes success? (Is there an exit strategy?)
To reiterate: Every enterprise must have a Strategic Plan. It doesn’t matter what business you are in. The Plan: sets out your goals; how you will achieve them philosophically and financially; and what happens when you achieve them.
A Strategic Plan is a roadmap; it will ensure that you get to where you want to go. As the “Master Plan”, everything else you do evolves from this Plan. Annual budgets, PR programs, content directions and preferences, financial decisions, and day-to-day operational answers all come from the guidance and direction in the Plan. It is the roadmap for your company’s journey to success, and success as YOU have defined it.
Obviously, revenues, return on investment, market share, and other goals MUST be met to ensure the continuation of the company. A Strategic Plan takes your idea and guides it to become your reality of a successful business enterprise. Every Plan is different, though most have a number of skeletally similar features. We will be pleased to provide you a cost estimate based on the “condition” of your current Plan, how in depth the Plan has to be, and the budget allocated to it.