Immaculate, Fortune Favours The Brave, 4 min read
Sorry to start this post with a spoiler alert but nonetheless here goes; the success of a business does not solely depend on the hard work of the owner and its team members, neither does it exclusively depend on their STRATEGIC plans and vision for the business – running a successful business involves the combination of these, working synergistically. A lot of business owners often make the mistake of working hard In the Business instead of working smartly On the Business. When business owners, particularly new owners, depend solely on hard work and a lucid vision to move the business to where you want it to be, often will be fruitless. In all my thirty plus years in business and 5 successful start-ups with over 20 failed ventures, I have learned that the key activity that every business owner needs to add to their business to turn that vision and ambitions into targets that are realistic and achievable is a dynamic, well-crafted Strategic Plan. When combined and worked synergistically with hard work, your chance of success improves a 100-fold. Strategic planning gives you a leap that will set your business on the right path. Knowing exactly how to undertake strategic planning is no longer essential, strategic planning has been made available and significantly effective with the use of strategic planning software.
The use of strategic planning software can help you greatly by giving you a framework and importantly, it can save you time and money. Strategic planning software eliminates the need for clunky spreadsheets and uncontrolled versions of your strategic plan making its way onto the shop floor. It also reduces the amount of time that is spent explaining to staff and new starters what your company strategy is, who’s working on what, and what the daily activities are – keeping the members of your team updated and pulling in the same direction. Good strategic planning software also saves money – no need to higher expensive McKinsey consultants, business coaches or even that graduate MBA for 100k a year. Good strategic planning software will guide strategic thinking for you, thus the need to hire an external expert for your evaluation/analysis becomes unnecessary.
Most strategic planning software apps can also be deployed as a day to day management tool, that helps you manage your team effectively. Strategic planning software is the most essential tool for business owners, managers and CEOs – it empowers them to keep everyone on the same page on route to becoming more efficient and growing into a successful and sustainable business.
Another business challenge is for managers and supervisors to keep everyone updated with new developments on the go. However, with the use of strategic planning software, it makes team management easier and more effective. Adopting the ‘old-school’ tactics of sending emails or other stressful processes is a thing of the past. It worked well in the nineteenth and twentieth century, but business owners of today are fortunate to have every type of software system to help them with whatever challenge they are faced with. Strategic planning software not only helps in keeping everyone pulling in the same direction but also, it gives them a sense of unity and dedication to the team. This is because when everyone is aware of things as they happen it makes them feel like they are part of something special, it makes them feel important being part of something that is ultimately bigger than any one individual.
A lot of business owners often make the mistake of thinking that strategic planning is limited to only big companies and Corporations, and not small businesses like theirs. The truth is, strategic planning – and the use of strategic planning software – is important regardless of the size or type of your company. It is an essential tool for navigating the challenges that you may face in whatever industry you are operating in.
Most importantly, strategic planning software helps in creating efficiency and unlocking the true potential of your business. There are many challenges every business is faced with, but when you are “stuck in a box”, it becomes nearly impossible to explore any potential. And this leads us back to the point made in the opening paragraph, the difference between business that are doing extremely well and those that are struggling is not usually in how hard the thriving businesses work, but in how smart they work.
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