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Build Your Own Strategic Plan

Guest post by: Robert Whipple

Article Overview: Creating a strategic plan for your life can literally change your whole experience in whatever you want to do. Wouldn't you like to be in better control of your destiny from year to year? You can, just read and follow the advice in this article.

Build Your Own Strategic Plan

Most of us have gone through the exercise of creating a strategic plan in the work setting. Companies recognize that to move forward crisply toward their objectives, they need a well documented process that specifies where they are going and how they are going to get there. The normal strategic plan contains at least the following elements:

1. Values of the organization

2. Vision - where the organization is trying to go

3. Mission - what we are trying to accomplish every day

4. Behaviors - how we intend to treat each other

5. SWOT Analysis - Documenting Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats

6. Strategic plan - How to get from where we are now to the vision

7. Tactics - how we can make the strategy operational

8. Key measures - what we need to monitor to drive toward the vision

9. Feedback - how we let everyone know where we stand



Several years ago it occurred to me that if corporations could benefit from having a strategic plan, I could personally benefit from having one for my life. The idea sounds kind of hokey at first, but it has been the best investment of time I ever made.

My process is to set aside a time each year when I fully examine my progress and reset my strategy for the coming year. I do this in the mid afternoon to early evening on New Year's Eve (before any imbibing). I really look forward to this time for myself and have developed a rather detailed plan that helps me focus all year. Since I started doing this, it seems my control over what I do has improved dramatically as has my progress toward stated goals. If you do not have and written goals, chances are you are not going to achieve what you want.

Try this exercise on for size. Pick a time during the year when you will set aside a half day to invest in yourself. If you give it a fair shot and only about 4 hours a year, you will find yourself accomplishing much more and living the life you want because you have a specific plan.

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Article Tags: behaviors, happiness, life, measures, mission, results, strategy, SWOT, tactics, values, vision



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Business Innovation - Hi Simon If you can finish off the Business Plan and think about your strategic direction or how you are going to use your product to convince people it's a great idea, it will set the foundation for your programming project. You see, when you are looking for funding you will need a Business Plan and Strategic Plan that will convince companies to invest into your new idea. Has anyone achieved this idea before using another industry besides health and fitness that you know of? You should also design some mockups as a "preview" for your programming project. This will also help reduce your programming costs as everyone will know exactly what you want if you have detailed mockups already completed including any functionality you require. Starting mockups for websites and software applications on paper is the best way if you're not a guru in graphic editing software.
Different Hats - CEO Sales & Marketing & Leadership Development Company Strategic Vision 10 Alliances & Growth Strategies 10 Hiring & Managing People 8 Mentoring 8-9 Strategic Planning for Clients 10 Execution of Marketing Campaigns 9-10 (i have great people who do the nitty gritty) Financial Management 9 Bookkeeping 3 (outsourced as I really hate the fine details like GST0 Administrative Follow Up 6-7 (again have great staff) Writing & Publishing 9 (getting better all the time!) Speaking 10 (so I have been told) Self Promotion 9-10 Web development & Promotion 6-7 (learning more and have brought on players who are 10+) Babysitting Employees (1 - wont do it, that's why I work so hard to hire and motivate the people I have) Great topic Kevin!! Jude
Re: Great start, but no finish - My advise is FOCUS on your business. Focusing is the main factor to succeed on business. If you have a great idea, then follow it only, don't look anywhere else. It is especially essential in an online business. Because there are a lot of mind blowing sales letters promising millions dolllars or overnight success, people find it difficult to concentrate on one business and they lose their energy. Concept is simple. 1- Have a good idea; 2- Build your business on it; 3- Monetize your business; 4- Promote it; 5- Build list of responsive customers; 6- Maintain You Business. Focusing and not fearing from competition (instead you can learn from competitiors) are main tips of billionaires ,BTW. Orxan
Re: Essential Leadership skills - Vision Values Mission Strategic Thinking Decision Making Communication Team Bonding People Development Coaching / Mentoring / Guiding / Grooming Presentation Thanks Robert
Re: NEW VIDEO - How to improve your business plan - Ask Evan - Thanks Evan, great intro into how the VC's see business plan. I will take a look, but hope that this video as number 1 in a series. It is unfortunate that these types of errors, the most basic of errors as you point out here are common to too many business plans, having reviewed a few hundred myself from both a development and funding perspective. As a mentor and workshop facilitator for Business Plan development for a number of start-up IT and multimedia companies, your presentation help support and show how the VC's see and evaluate a plan Shameful, that too many don't take the time to learn how to properly prepare, present and defend their plans. Over the years, I have enjoyed Business Plan competitions, and help re-work some of the winning proposals


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