Strategic Planning For Dummies (PDF)

If you're starting a new business or planning your
business's future, there are plenty of things you should take
into account. Strategic Planning For Dummies covers
everything you need to know to develop a plan for building and
maintaining a competitive advantage -- no matter what business
you're in.

Written by Erica Olsen, founder and President of a business
development firm that helps entrepreneurial-minded businesses plan
for a successful future, this handy guide covers all the basics,
including:

* How a strategic plan is different than a business plan

* Establishing a step-based planning process

* Planning for and encouraging growth

* Taking a long-view of your organization

* Evaluating past performance

* Defining and refining your mission, values, and vision

* Sizing up your current situation

* Examining your industry landscape

* Setting your strategic priorities

* Planning for unknown contingencies

If you're in business, you have to plan for everything
-- especially if you intend your business to grow. Whether
you're planning for a small business, large conglomerate,
nonprofit, or even a government agency, this book has the planning
specifics you need for your organization. Step-by-step,
you'll learn how to lay the foundations for a plan,
understand how your plan will affect your business, form planning
teams, discover what your strengths are, see where you are, and,
finally, plan where you're going. And there's much
more:

* Learn to analyze business trends that will determine your
business's future

* Set measurable, realistic goals that you can plan for and
achieve

* Make strategic planning a habitual part of the
organization

* Prioritize multiple strategies that you can implement
simultaneously

* Set a defining vision for the organization that guides all your
planning and strategy

This friendly, simple guide puts the power of strategic planning
in the palm of your hand. For small businesses that can't
afford to hire strategic planning consultants, it's even more
imperative. Careful, constant planning is the only way to handle an
uncertain business future. With this book, you'll have all
the step-by-step guidance you need to ensure you're ready for
anything that comes.