Focused strategic planning in small business    

A Yearlong Coaching Program – Focused on Results

Focus your Business Now! is a yearlong coaching program that moves you through the stages of strategic planning in small business – and on to results.

It is designed to help small business owners and members of the management team conduct strategic planning and focus on the most important plans and priorities over the course of the upcoming year in order to achieve powerful new success in all areas of your business.

The program brings your team face-to-face with what’s working – and what’s not. It guides you to identify solutions and organize them into a one-year plan that everyone agrees upon to focus the business on its key objectives, strategies and action plans. That one-year plan is designed to align your team, foster accountability, and bring everyone in your small business together so you’re all in the same boat, rowing in the same direction.

Action + Alignment + Accountability = Sustainable Results
Imagine if everyone on your management team was devoting their full time, energy, and resources in support of an agreed upon list of priorities, as well as an agreed upon method for managing the business. Would that create more focus in your business?

Now imagine having every member of your team holding themselves and everyone else accountable to do what they say they will do. Would that make your role easier? This positive peer pressure is where the program creates the power to execute and sustain action over the entire year.

But the real strength of the program comes from the focus that’s created by the strategic planning process to sharply define only the most important and strategic priorities for your small business during the upcoming year.

Without this focus you run the risk of people taking a lot of action – in the wrong direction.

How it Works – Supporting Your Small Business with Web 2.0
To keep each member of the team on the same page we capture and record your plans and progress through a web-enabled software program called The One Page Business Plan™. It’s not only the framework of the annual business plan we create, but a software application that allows us to implement the plan.

The most up to date form of the plan and it’s progress is always available to each team member at any time through this web-based application. Issues of distributing the latest version to everyone are completely eliminated!

Scorecards and progress reports are one of the many tools the application provides to give up to the minute status on every aspect of the plan. It keeps the plan very visible which is key to accountability.

Each team member has their own personal One Page Business Plan that reflects the roles and responsibilities of their department in executing and supporting the company’s overall plan. This provides maximum focus of energy and resources by your entire team.

Using the dashboard concept a small business owner or team member can check on the status of the company plan or individual plans with the touch of a button. From our experience we’ve learned that maximum visibility = maximum accountability. The software is an integral part of the monthly business review sessions, and it keeps a team on track and on plan throughout the year. The software is supplied and supported by The One Page Business Plan Company in Berkeley, California.

The program follows a very logical flow that all team members can easily understand and participate in. It unfolds in three phases:

Phase 1 - Annual Planning

	Team Assessment Calls One-on-one phone calls with each member of the team determine key business issues and perspectives. These calls establish an important relationship between team members and their workshop facilitator in advance of the annual strategic planning workshop. All calls are confidential, but the broader issues and themes are summarized and presented to the team leader in advance of the Annual Planning Workshop.
	Annual Strategic Planning Workshop (Two Day Off-Site) During these two days away from the office we facilitate a series of team conversations where the team comes face-to-face with strategic planning issues affecting the present and future condition of the business. During the workshop the team co-creates and aligns around its vision and mission as well as its annual objectives, strategies and action plans.
	The One Page Business Planning and Accountability System All of the workshop results are then rolled up into a One Page Business Plan for the company. The plan is then uploaded to a secure web site where it will activate score cards, progress reports and additional means to serve as an accountability tool – the key element of the team accountability system that we’ll agree to prior to the end of the annual strategic planning workshop. Along with a consolidated annual plan, each team member creates their own personal one page plan to reflect the responsibilities of their department as it supports the company’s consolidated plan.
	Company-Wide Presentation of The One Page Business Plan (by Team members) Within two months of the strategic planning workshop an all-company meeting is held and the team presents the consolidated one page business plan to all members of the company. The plan is posted and a monthly rating system gives all company members a clear view as to the team’s progress.

Phase 2 – Monthly Execution

	Monthly Business Review Meetings (All Team Members) Each month we hold a two-hour business review meeting where all strategies, objectives and action plans are reviewed, scored and discussed. Team members define and commit to monthly goals for the upcoming month. Issues, progress and opportunities are discussed and examined.
	Mid-Month Check In Calls (Team Leader Only) Once a month in between business review meetings team leaders receive a call with the team coach and facilitator. The purpose of the call is to provide additional coaching and serve as a sounding board for the team leader on key issues facing the company.
	On-Demand Focused Coaching (For All Team Members) All team members have unlimited telephone and email access to their team coach and facilitator to help them with issues facing their departments or their roles as members of the management team.

Phase 3 – Quarterly and Annual Evaluation

	Quarterly Plan Review/Recalibration Each quarter the team participates in a specific quarterly review exercise to ensure that all goals and strategies are on target. If necessary we recalibrate the portion of the annual strategic plan that needs attention. These review sessions take place once a quarter during the monthly business review meetings.
	Annual Plan Review & Evaluation At the end of the year you take time to evaluate your progress and lessons learned – especially as they apply to the upcoming year.
	Annual Celebration Celebrating your success is the key to rewarding all your hard work over the course of the year. Your team coach and facilitator has a special celebratory experience for the team to enjoy.

Our Amazing “Focused Results” Guarantee
We already know the amazing results this process creates for small business– but we want your team to feel absolutely certain about using the program. To remove any sense of risk we offer the following very simple risk-free guarantee:

If for any reason your team is not satisfied with the results of the 2-Day off-site Annual Strategic Planning Workshop (Phase 1), we will provide a 100% refund of all fees paid. In addition, if at any time during the course of the year your team decides to discontinue the program, you may do so and we will release you from any further financial obligation.

Now that’s an amazing guarantee – and the sign of a program you can have confidence in to produce focused results for your small business.

Contact us today for a free consultation and learn how you can reap the rewards of strategic planning in small business and Focus Your Business Now for guaranteed results.