Guides & Articles on Strategic Planning
Writing a Business-Growth Plan
Facilitate and speed expansion with a clear roadmap
By Jenni Simcoe
Writing a growth plan is very similar to writing a business plan. However, a growth plan focuses specifically on expansion and how you're going to achieve it. Creating a useful plan takes time, but the effort can pay off substantially by keeping your growth efforts on track. A growth plan includes: A description of expansion opportunities. Financial goals broken down quarterly and ...
Registering a DBA or Fictitious Business Name
To give your business an identity of its own, you have to register it
By Matt Alderton
Entrepreneurs put a lot on the line to start their own businesses — their own money, their own time and even their own names. As a sole proprietor, you can choose to simply do business under your personal name. Or you can keep your name to yourself and look more professional as a business by officially registering a DBA (Doing Business As) name. Filing a DBA — also know...
Generating Strategic Alliances
Identifying your strategy is the first step toward success
By Constance Gustke
Strategic alliances are a quick way to help a small business grow beyond its known sphere. By leveraging an alliance with a key customer or even a competitor, you can jumpstart any area of your business. They are usually formed so that you can: Gain access to new markets. Develop new products or skills. Respond to changing markets quickly. Reduce risks and costs. ...
NAICS
Find your place among North American industries.
By Toni Klym McLellan
If you’re an economist or statistician, chances are you know what NAICS stands for. The rest of us must walk our fingers over to Google to learn it stands for the North American Industry Classification System. Adopted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 1997 to replace the old Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, NAICS allows federal agencies to collect, analyze and...
Launching a New Product
A successful rollout can mean increased profits and growth.
By Patricia Olsen
Almost all businesses need to occasionally introduce new products for growth and profitability. Yet research shows that more than half of all new products fail in the first year. Product introduction builds upon initial plans made during product development. But getting the message — and your product — out effectively requires attention to every detail. Your launch st...
Outsourcing to Foreign Countries
Improve your profit margin with cheaper labor overseas
By Greg Brown
Outsourcing has become a kind of four-letter word in political circles, but for Corporate America it's just the way the new global game is played. If you want to scale up your production or drive down development costs, finding or building foreign labor capacity can make a difference in your plans.Although the first jobs to go were telephone-driven service tasks and computing, ...
How to Review Your Business for the New Year
How to review and update your business for the New Year
By LaRita Heet
Happy New Year! It’s the perfect time of year to review where your business has been, and where it’s headed in the future. It’s time to re-evaluate the measures you have in place in terms of equipment, products, services, technical needs, business plan, and employees. Do you really need that high-end copier with the costly rental fee, or would an affordable all-in...
Create Your Strategic Plan in One Day
The Ten-Step, One-Day Strategic Plan
By Erica Olsen
You don’t have to kill a tree or shut down the office for a week to create a successful strategic plan. In fact, you can create a successful plan for your business in just one day. It doesn’t have to be an overwhelming or a monumental task. It doesn’t have to be perfect or fancy. Just grab a few key peopl...
Company Rankings
Company ratings provide perfect PR for rated firms, intelligence for unrated
By Matt Alderton
Lists of company rankings are everywhere: magazine top 100 companies lists, association top 10 companies lists. Even ranked companies make company rankings. More than gimmicks, though, company ratings are serious business intelligence tools. A look at your favorite lists, many of which include company profiles, can tell you who’s who and what’s what in American bus...
Business Contingency Planning
A business contingency plan helps you prepare and persevere in times of crisis
By Matt Alderton
Small business ownership is sometimes full of hurdles, high jumps and hazards. That's why business contingency planning is so important; you've got to be prepared for the worst. Part pre-emptive strategy and part disaster recovery plan, a just-in-case business contingency plan is a critical tool for bouncing back from both minor crises and major catastrophes. A business con...
Company Profile Research
Use business information to ace a job interview or sales pitch
By Jeff Copeland
A company profile is a summary of a company’s lines of business, company history, executives, financials, and other business information you can use to prep for a job interview or sales call or to gather business development opportunities or competitive intelligence. Business information publishers sell company profiles as part of extensive corporate info databases or a...
Strategic Planning Education and Training
Strategic planning education is important for your business success
By Shannon Tani
All companies should use strategic planning to map out their company's goals over the next 3-5 years. By receiving a strategic planning certificate or simply attending strategic planning courses, you prime yourself for success within your career.Those who have strategic planning education and training become the leaders of a company. They are responsible for anticipating market...
Annual Reports
Use Your Annual Report to stand apart from the competition
By Kimberly Ben
A well written company annual report should meet the expectations of the intended reader. If it's aimed at Investors it should show business profitability, stability growth and any problems that could directly affect investments. Your annual report is a basic summary detailing your company's operations. Some companies have chosen to abandon annual reports. But t...
Strategic Planning Consulting
Hire a strategic planning consulting service to prepare for unexpected changes in your business
By Kimberly Ben
Strategic consulting services differ from the process of long-term business planning. When it comes to long-term planning, businesses usually create a plan of action and a process for implementing necessary change. Strategic consulting services help businesses make plans for navigating a changing environment. Strategic consulting requires constant monitoring and analysis to ensure ...
Business Models for Strategic Planning
Keep your company on track with a strategic business model designed for continuing growth.
By Lea Terry
Strategic planning models can help you identify the best methods for achieving your company's goals and create a foundation for growth. A strategic business model is appropriate both for creating a new company's initial growth strategy, and for re-evaluating and adapting this strategic plan along the way. A strategic planning model is more than just a "to-do" ...
Publicly Held Company Rankings
Boost your marketing efforts by researching publicly held company rankings
By Sharon Cullars
Gear up your marketing research with in-depth profiles of publicly held companies. Find company rankings across industries, whether they are the top 250 public companies or the top 10 public companies. Build your call lists, increase your sales opportunities, or create a more targeted direct mail campaign by obtaining information on contact details from companies around the globe. ...
Standard Industrial Classification ( SIC )
How to use SIC codes to your company's advantage
By Patricia Flinsch-Rodriguez
The Standard Industrial Classification was created by the United States government as a means of classifying industries by the use of a 4-digit coding system to collect economic data on businesses. A SIC code directory can be a useful tool for enhancing your business if you know how to use it. Conducting company research by targeting the results to standard industrial classificatio...
Competitive Intelligence Jobs
Use your knowledge to secure jobs in business intelligence
By Shannon Tani
Competitive intelligence careers are ideal for those with an analytical mind who can easily spot trends. These days, many businesses offer CI employment so that they can stay ahead of the curve.People who have jobs in business intelligence are able to collect information about market trends and competition and compile it in a way that helps the business to succeed. It is often conf...
Strategic Planning Organizations
Strategic planning organizations offer many tools and resources to the business professional
By Kelly Shetsky
Councils for strategic planning are a group of passionate professionals who want to share their experiences and knowledge. They are a source of support and networking for management and planning executives. Corporate, non profit and governmental organizations come together to understand rising risks and opportunities, explore emerging uncertainties and develop adaptive strategies f...
Strategic Planning Information Resources
How to get the strategic plan for information resources you need
By Lesley Graybeal
Strategic planning industry reports can keep your business or institution highly organized and effective. Whether you're developing new goals and initiatives or just trying to stay on track with currents visions and missions, you can benefit from strategic planning. For information resources on strategic planning, you can choose between free information and hiring a consultant....
Economic Analysis Software
Discover the benefits of economic analysis software in your company's expansion
By Christine Pollock
Business owners from a variety of fields use economic software. Whether you work in the oil industry or transportation, the software is an asset to your plans for change. Use of economic software enables a business to approach a change systematically, seeing pros and cons before making modifications. A business owner then assesses a variety of alternatives recommended to determine ...
Business Classification Systems
Learn about business classification systems and industry codes
By S. Ledrew
Business classification systems are pertinent for specific sectors of business such as marketing and development teams and certain public relations endeavors. Finding the right business classification is also a necessary part of forming a business and fitting it into current industry classification systems.There are various services that promise to demystify classification codes an...
Case Studies on Strategic Planning
A thorough guide to understanding and accessing case studies on strategic planning
By S. Ledrew
Case study strategic plans are a wonderful tool whether you plan to use them for implementing new management initiatives or market research tactics. Case studies provide a great way to predict the outcome of management or organizational changes and can be a viable road map when plotting corporate strategies for success. Understanding where to acquire a case study for strategic plan...
Business Decision Making
Simplify your business decision making process--and make wiser choices
By Lea Terry
Effective decision making in business requires an equal emphasis on strategy, collaboration and ethics. The long-term success of your organization is always the primary goal, but without an eye on the moral implications of a choice, you risk making decisions that could harm your company, your customers or your investors. And, by consisting making wise and ethical decisions, you...
Legal Information Resources
Find the law information that applies to your business
By Shannon Tani
All business owners should have a steady supply of legal information resources to help them make sure that their business is on the right track. While some people prefer to call a lawyer whenever they have a question, many people realize that with the right law resources, they can do much of their own legal research.There are plenty of sources for legal information. Business owners...
