Organize Your Plan

By now, we’re well on our way to making strategy a habit.
Once you’ve 1) gotten ready for the strategic planning process, 2) articulated
your mission and vision, 3) reviewed your strategic position, and 4) agreed on
your priorities, it’s time to organize
your plan.
You’ll recall that I previously recommended narrowing your
options down to a select few for […]

Agreeing on Priorities

Okay, so far we’ve addressed the first three steps in the strategic planning
process on the way to making strategy a habit – 1) Getting ready for the
strategic planning process, 2) Articulating your mission and vision, and 3)
Reviewing your strategic position. Once you’ve made it to this point, it’s
important now that you get everyone involved in […]

What can we learn from Toyota?

We’re all familiar with the Boy Scout motto of "Be Prepared", but have you considered applying this phrase in your professional life? The most successful companies out there know the value of preparation and the rest are taking a cue from the best.
A recent New York Times Magazine cover story chronicled the rise of Toyota […]

Your Success Takes Planning

Did you know that having a strategic plan is the best way to
bring focus and direction to your organization AND drive growth at the same
time? According
to a recent study by M3 Planning, a nationwide leader in on-demand strategic
planning services, businesses that use strategic planning are 12 percent more
profitable. The results from the 2006 M3 Planning […]

Your Strategic Planning Process Checklist

The strategic planning process is a continuous process. It’s easy to get lost in that process in the midst of everyday operations. Here is an easy to follow Strategic Planning Process Checklist to keep you and your team on track.
1. Get ready and organized: Identify specific issues and choices the process should address.

Determine organizational readiness
Create […]

Is Your Strategy Lacking Inspiration?

Need a little inspiration to kick off your strategic planning? This is
just the book for you. Inspired Strategy quickly takes you through the
strategic planning process from a inspirational perspective, not the
usual business speak.
Sign up for Strategy Check, our bi-monthly newsletter, to download Inspired Strategy and other white papers from M3 Planning for free.
Click here to […]

Reaching the $1 Million Mark

At the end of the day, what is every business trying to
do? Grow. More customers, more sales, positive cash flow, larger deal sizes,
higher volume, more billable hours, justification for higher prices, etc. Ask
any hard-working entrepreneur what she is working on and you’re bound to hear a
comment related to growth. Why? Because if you’re not growing, […]

Having a strategy isn’t enough. Many of us know all too well that having a great strategy will never yield results if it is not properly executed. The following article by Scott Glatstein of the American Chronicle takes a look at some of the causes of a failed strategy.

Business Strategy Execution: 4 Reasons Why Your […]

Ten Tips to Creating Momentum in Your Life

Creating momentum in your life takes
increasing the things that move you forward and decreasing those that
hold you back. Sounds like a snap, but I know, just like you do, that
living a life that we desire is not always easy to achieve. We have
habits and repeat cycles to overcome. But by creating momentum, we can
move past […]

Take Time Out for Strategic Planning

Many business owners get so focused on the daily grind they forget to plan for the future. Taking time out to be strategic can eliminate many of the stresses of daily activities by making operations more efficient. I often find it challenging to explain the strategic planning process and its importance, which is why I […]