Strategic Planning for Small Businesses: DIY or Hire a Consultant?
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When it comes time to create a strategic plan for small business you basically have two options: you can create the plan yourself or you can hire the services of a consultant to create the plan for you with your input. In this article we will take a look at both options with an eye towards helping you to make the best choice.
DIY Strategic Planning
Whether or not you should attempt to create your own strategic plan for small business depends largely on the size of your business, the level of expertise of the person who will be creating the plan and the amount of time available to devote to creating the plan.
Sometimes it makes sense to take some time away from the everyday routines of running your business to take a fresh view of things and start planning for the future. If your business will not run without your presence, this may not be a viable option for you.
There are many tools and resources available to aid the small business person who wants to create their own strategic plan. You can visit you local small business development center and talk to a counselor who can point you in the direction of local, free and affordable business planning and management resources. There are hundreds of books on the topic of strategic planning, you can do a self-study course, or take a class in person or online. You could also use online strategic planning software that will walk you and your team through creating a strategic plan for small business that will help you to achieve the growth and expansion that you are looking for.
Hire a strategic planning consultant
Hiring an outside person whether they are a strategic planning consultant or a small business coach can be a great way to get an outside, objective opinion about your business. You are entrenched in your business day in and day out, and it can be refreshing to the educated insight of a business specialist. The good thing about working with a consultant is that they have the benefit of their own experience along with all that they have learned from working with countless other businesses.
A business coach or consultant can help you to develop a strategic plan, and they can advise you about making sure that the plan is implemented and executed properly. Implementation is where many strategic plans fall down, but a consultant will provide a level of accountability for you that will encourage you to strive to achieve the goals that you have set for your business.
When a professional is working on your plan, you can have more confidence in that plan because they are experienced and knowledgeable. They will also be there to support you during the process taking your input along with that of your employees, customers, clients, vendors, suppliers, and they might be able to do more in-depth competitive analysis than you could possibly do.
Whether you hire a coach or create a strategic plan for small business yourself, it will be one of the best uses of your time and resources because a strategic plan can help move your business forward.
Of course we can only scratch the surface of strategic planning for small business in this short article. For more information to help you grow your online business, visit, http://www.mcreasite.com/blog today.
DIY Strategic Planning
Whether or not you should attempt to create your own strategic plan for small business depends largely on the size of your business, the level of expertise of the person who will be creating the plan and the amount of time available to devote to creating the plan.
Sometimes it makes sense to take some time away from the everyday routines of running your business to take a fresh view of things and start planning for the future. If your business will not run without your presence, this may not be a viable option for you.
There are many tools and resources available to aid the small business person who wants to create their own strategic plan. You can visit you local small business development center and talk to a counselor who can point you in the direction of local, free and affordable business planning and management resources. There are hundreds of books on the topic of strategic planning, you can do a self-study course, or take a class in person or online. You could also use online strategic planning software that will walk you and your team through creating a strategic plan for small business that will help you to achieve the growth and expansion that you are looking for.
Hire a strategic planning consultant
Hiring an outside person whether they are a strategic planning consultant or a small business coach can be a great way to get an outside, objective opinion about your business. You are entrenched in your business day in and day out, and it can be refreshing to the educated insight of a business specialist. The good thing about working with a consultant is that they have the benefit of their own experience along with all that they have learned from working with countless other businesses.
A business coach or consultant can help you to develop a strategic plan, and they can advise you about making sure that the plan is implemented and executed properly. Implementation is where many strategic plans fall down, but a consultant will provide a level of accountability for you that will encourage you to strive to achieve the goals that you have set for your business.
When a professional is working on your plan, you can have more confidence in that plan because they are experienced and knowledgeable. They will also be there to support you during the process taking your input along with that of your employees, customers, clients, vendors, suppliers, and they might be able to do more in-depth competitive analysis than you could possibly do.
Whether you hire a coach or create a strategic plan for small business yourself, it will be one of the best uses of your time and resources because a strategic plan can help move your business forward.
Of course we can only scratch the surface of strategic planning for small business in this short article. For more information to help you grow your online business, visit, http://www.mcreasite.com/blog today.