by Lea Strickland | Jul 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy
Sometimes it takes a different perspective in order to see things that are already mapped out in front of you. It can be a new employee coming into the company. It can be the loss of a major customer that you thought of as one that would “always” be there no matter...
by Lea Strickland | Jul 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Non-Profit, Small Business
When we think of a business, we must think in terms of activities that produce resources and those that use resources. Everyone and everything in the organization is engaged in creating or consuming resources, or in some instances both. People who are paid for their...
by Lea Strickland | Jul 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, Small Business, Strategy
Understanding how to get the most out of your strategic plan is important. A robust strategic planning process includes translating the strategic and operational objectives into pro forma financial results. These financial results, like the strategic plan, typically...
by Lea Strickland | Jul 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Business Plans, Execution, Leadership
An inordinate amount of your work time may be devoted to “fighting fires” and dealing with last-minute “emergency” situations. The “fire” may be an irate customer; a proposal for prospective client required by close of business today, or even the “normal” day-to-day...
by Lea Strickland | Jul 30, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Leadership, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy
The answer to this question depends upon two things: the context of the question and the timeframe being discussed. As a part of normal business processes – performance targets, budgets, sales forecasts, and so on – a specific target is set. For example,...
by Lea Strickland | Jul 30, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Leadership, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy
It seems to be an epidemic of almost pandemic proportions: People and companies are not maintaining or checking their calendars before making new plans or commitments. Just this week an economic development group’s director decided to take an extra day of...