Strategic Growth Planning for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses

Whether it's a start-up struggling to scale quickly or an established small to mid-sized business with a long history, every organization can benefit from growth planning. Determining how to grow is often difficult to define unless you’ve got a well thought-out plan and an experienced team to lean on for insight. Here we provide a framework for identifying growth opportunities for your business and an execution system that helps ensure you perform against your plan.
 
Why Is Growth Planning Necessary?

1. Holistically assesses your current business. This assessment should include both internal and external perspectives of your business. This is the starting point of your business growth journey and will help you build a roadmap by determining what is necessary and possible.
2. Puts potential obstacles and opportunities on your radar. Growth planning is just that -- planning. While many disruptive factors for small businesses can be unpredictable and unavoidable, you can still anticipate certain risks and set a plan in motion to mitigate hindrances for your business’ growth.
3. Reassesses pre-conceived limitations. A successful business is rarely tied to fate, and the strategic planning of your small business’ growth can also be an opportunity to revisit important decisions that were previously taken off the table. A formal planning process allows open discussion of what is possible.
4. Identifies the next steps. As the leader of a small business, you’re operating with a limited bandwidth. A comprehensive growth planning process will lay out your specific action steps, after thoughtful consideration of the options available to the business.
5. Avoids the wrong type of growth. Not all growth is equal, nor recommended. Just as inaction can be fatal, so may be making the wrong decisions. Growth planning will allow you to thoughtfully examine all options and make conscious decisions on what you will and will not do.
6. Aligns your team around common goals. Because your key team members were active participants in the planning process, you’ll find your team better aligned and ready to implement changes. Your team will have context on why key decisions were made, which can also be helpful in identifying when modifications to the plan may be required.

 
Lauber Business Partners’ Growth Planning & Execution System
 
Our 4-step process provides an effective execution system to conduct monthly reviews, adjust to new circumstances, measure progress and ensure accountability.  When you partner with our team, you receive access to an experienced executive to facilitate this process from start to finish.
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1. Understand - annual   

• Market Segment Analysis
• Assumptions for Market Segment
• Competitive Analysis
• Technology Assessment
• Supplier Market Assessment
• Current Economic Situation
• Significant Regulations
• Assessment of Sales and Marketing

2. Envision - annual

• Mission and Vision
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Perceived Opportunities
• Perceived Threats
• Strategic Assessment of Segments
• Strategic Issues
• Strategies

3. Plan - annual

• Goals / Objectives
• Action Plans
• Page Business Plan

4. Perform & Execute - monthly

• Review Results
• Review Forecast
• Review / Adjust Strategic Objectives
• Review Performance Against Targets and Goals
• Agree on Key Short-term priorities

 
Your Local Resource with a Proven Track Record of Success 

Lauber Business Partners and its experienced professionals have a proven track record of successful strategic growth planning implementation in Wisconsin. We’ve helped numerous small to mid-size businesses evaluate their growth needs and put into action the best plan of getting them to that next phase.
 
Contact us today at 414-273-8060 or [email protected] to learn how Lauber Business Partners can help your small-midsize organization grow and succeed.
 
Additional Resources for Small to Mid-sized Businesses

• How Small-Midsize Businesses Can Build an HR Department
• 6 Small Business Management Tips
• The Benefits of Outsourcing Your Human Resources Program
• Financial Challenges in Small Businesses