Easy Strategic Planning

Question: Can you give me an outline for a simple yet comprehensive strategic plan?

Answer: One quick and easy model is to do a SWOT analysis:

Set up a four-column table - perhaps in Excel, but even paper is fine - and list your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Even this can be enough to get the conversation rolling.

From there, obviously, you seek specific tactics to take advantage of your biggest opportunities, shore up your weaknesses, and protect against threats - all without hurting your core strengths.

You’ll find plenty of examples and detailed explanations if you search for “SWOT” online.