9 Steps to Develop a Business Succession Plan

Does your company have a business succession plan in place? As a business owner, having a plan in place that identifies and trains next-generation leaders helps ensure that your company will remain a viable entity well into the future. Succession plans are needed because they provide a road map for the company to follow in […]

Engaging In Customer-Focused Strategic Planning

When creating or updating your strategic plan, you might be tempted to focus on innovative products or services, new geographic locations, or technological upgrades. But, what about your customers? Particularly if you’re a small to midsize business, focusing your strategic planning efforts on them may be the most direct route to a better bottom line. […]

Get Serious About Your Strategic Planning Meetings

Most business owners would likely agree that strategic planning is important. Yet many companies rarely engage in active measures to gather and discuss strategy. Sometimes strategic planning is tacked on to a meeting about something else; other times it occurs only at the annual company retreat when employees may feel out of their element and […]

Pondering The Possibility Of A Company Retreat

As vaccination levels rise and major U.S. population centers fully reopen, business owners may find themselves pondering an intriguing thought: Should we have a company retreat this year? Although there are still health risks to consider, your employees may love the idea of attending an in-person event after so many months of video calls, emails […]

The Many Uses Of A SWOT Analysis

Using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis to frame an important business decision is a long-standing recommended practice. But don’t overlook other, broader uses that could serve your company well. Performance factors A SWOT analysis starts by spotlighting internal strengths and weaknesses that affect business performance. Strengths are competitive advantages or core competencies […]