Top Two Formulas for Creating a Small Business Strategy

By Arlene Lagman-Tabamo

If you think that a business strategy is not important because you only have a small venture, then you need some serious rethinking to do. Creating a strategy is a crucial task of a business owner. Even if you only have a garage-type operation or an Internet-based home enterprise, the strategic direction that you will set for your business will determine your failure or success.

Unfortunately, most small business owners are intimidated by the word strategy. They will simply create a short-term business plan for their weekly or monthly operations. If you are following this approach, then you will have a difficult time transforming your small business into a big and highly successful corporation.

You have to remember that creating a business strategy need not be too complicated. There are simple ways of devising a strategic plan for your small venture. Here are the top two models or formulas that could help you.

The Goal-Focus Graph

Creating a strategy graph that focuses on your bigger goals is the easiest and simplest way to formulate a strategic plan. You do not have to earn a business degree to create the goal-focus graph. In fact, you can finish creating the strategy in a few hours.

What you need to do is to get a clean sheet of bond paper. Consider this paper as a representation of your 5-year strategic plan.

The bottom edge of the paper is year zero while the top-most part is the fifth year. On the bottom part of the paper, write the current status of your business. Then you should write your five-year goal on the upper edge of the graph.

The blank space of the paper should represent the x-number of years or months and you must set concrete and quantifiable milestones for each year or month. Make sure to set the major tasks that you have to accomplish to reach a milestone. Once you complete the goal-focus graph, then you will now have a working business strategy which should guide you for the next five years.

Following the Kaizen Model

The Kaizen model is a Japanese invention focusing on performance and productivity. It is practically a hands-on business strategy which could become the unique culture of your enterprise. Even the global MNCs of Japan are following the Kaizen model to chalk-up more achievements.

The Kaizen business strategy is not complicated. In order to simplify your approach, you need to focus your efforts on improving two things: customer relationship and employee morale.

Your intra-corporate strategy should be centered on teamwork, quality, rewards system, discipline, and thrift. On the customer or sales side, the focus of your strategy should be customer satisfaction, giving greater value, building lasting relationships, and maintaining cordial communications.

If you apply the Kaizen principle to your small business, then you are already half-way to your success. This is a proven business strategy that promotes greater customer loyalty and harmonious relationships within the workplace.

Creating a business strategy for your small business is not difficult. You can easily create a strategy as long as your business goals and objectives are clear. Once you have created a strategy for your business, you have to apply it consciously in order to achieve greater success.