Strategic Thinking

According to the Small Business Administration over 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years. Why?  The reasons are many, but the root cause may be simple. They failed to plan!

In our experience, there are two major components to successful business planning – the plan itself and the execution.  One without the other is a leading cause of failure. Or as the Japanese proverb says “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”

Black Diamond Associates guides you and your leadership team through the strategic thinking and planning process so you can:

• Prioritize activities – Focus on the important, not just the urgent
• Align day-to-day activities with long-range objectives and vision
• Focus energies on the desired future
• Become a vision-driven company that significantly outperforms your competitors
• Guide decision-making – making otherwise confusing decisions clear and simple
• Identify key performance measurements to manage the organization’s success

The process involves developing a plan for your business.  This plan includes:

• • Vision – Why are you in business, what business are you in
  • Core Values – How to create the culture to achieve the vision
  • Mission – What you want to accomplish in the next 12-18 months
  • The External Assessment – Market Segments, Competition, Trends
  • Internal Appraisal – Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses, Threats
  • Critical Goal Categories – The Critical Success Factors to achieving your Mission
  • The Tactical Business Plan – Who will do what by when
    • Product Plan
    • Marketing Communications Plan
    • Sales and Sales Support Plans
    • Operations Plan
    • Financial Plan/Budgeting
    • Key Measures/Performance Indicators
  • The Review Process – Implementing, Measuring, Evaluating, and Adjusting