Tag Archives: plans

Reflections

Questions for Evaluation and Improving Your Business

As we enter the new year of 2015 it is time to reflect on where your business is going and how plansare you going to achieve those objectives. A number of significant events have taken place in our environment that may be forcing you to look at your business much differently than you did a year ago. Take some time to reflect on the following questions and honestly evaluate where you are, where you are going, and how you plan to get there.… Read the rest

Business Planning

Developing a Business Plan!

Business PlanThere are many important steps to consider when developing a Business Plan for your company, but the first step is to fully understand the main uses of a business plan. The four main uses of a business-plan are as follows:

• A Business Plan is a written document that you can use in your search for external financing.
• A Business Plan is a tactical planning and management tool for your business.
• A Business Plan is a document showing the capacity of your team to control and manage all the aspects of the company.
• A Business Plan brings you new ideas to refine your business.… Read the rest

Annual Board Retreats

Idea for an Association Board Workshop

workshopIt is quite common that an association will have an annual retreat with their Board of Director. One of the primary workshop subjects for that retreat is the review and revision of the association’s Strategic Plan. Another might be a review of board governance. Let us consider a third, Business Model Generation.… Read the rest

Knowing Your Organization

Assessing Sustainability

sustainabilityWhether you are a business, a charitable organization, or an association, the relationships you have with customers, donors, or members is critical to continued success. That relationship needs to be one which builds loyalty. At the root of success is the loyalty of those, in many cases employees, within the organization to the mission. A lack of employee loyalty may result in the inability to achieve goals and dysfunctional communication. Morale and culture issues may develop. On an overall basis, there is no alignment of systems, people, and strategy.

 … Read the rest

Developing Sustainable Profitabilty

Developing a Customer Loyalty Business Plan

marketing plan

Peter Drucker was quoted as saying, “The function of business is to attract and maintain customers.”One should add in order to make a profit or to be financially viable. Let’s suggest that within these combined statements there are three concepts to be explored:

  1. There is a distinct difference between customer loyalty and customer satisfaction.
  2. Customer loyalty depends on providing the customer with perceived value and a positive emotional experience at every point of connection.
  3. Within any profitable marketing plan there are more than the four P’s (price, promotion, product/services, and place) to be considered. Customers need to get what they want and come back for more for a business to achieve long term success.
… Read the rest

The Investment of Time

Investing Your Time

timeOne of the greatest lessons in time management is to realize the difference between spending time and investing time. The dictionary defines spend as “to use up, exhaust, consume.” If you spend, you have no return. On the other hand, when we invest we “spend with expectation of some satisfaction, of obtaining an income or profit.”

 … Read the rest

Strategic Plans That Never Happen

The Strategic Plan That Never Happened

failureMaybe you are a business or a non-profit that completed writing a strategic plan within the last one to two years. You spent many hours with your board of directors or management team carefully crafting the wording within each step of the process. Maybe you used a consultant or let a team member lead the discussion. Everyone felt good about the completion of the document, but a year later the status quo continues. What happened?

… Read the rest

Strategic Plans

Making the Strategic Plan Work

The Non-Profit Board

boardroomHaving worked with and been a part of several non-profit boards of directors, we have observed both well-functioning and dysfunctional groups. Please understand that in every case they were made up of intelligent and well-meaning people. Many of them have worked long and hard in writing a strategic plan. But once completed, it often becomes only an agenda item at the next annual retreat.… Read the rest