Survive the recession and maximize your profit when sales return. SCORE’s strategic planning workshop shows you how.

Workshop: Creating a World Class Vision for your Business
When: December 1, 2009, 9:30a - 12:00p
Where: SCORE Atlanta, 233 Peachtree Street, NE, Ste. 1900
Details: Online at tinyurl.com/cydufq or call, 404-331-0121

The highest levels of achievement requires a strategic plan
SCORE’s new workshop shows you how to craft a winning one

By: Jerry Chautin, SCORE business columnist

SCOREing small-business success

What the heck is strategic planning and why do you have to do it to survive the recession? And even if you have been subsisting during the economic downturn, how can strategic planning help you beat your competition to the punch when sales begin to return? You will learn how to prepare for the future with a big, bold and audacious strategic plan at SCORE’s new workshop.

According to George Horrigan, CPA, a strategic plan will help identify the critical success factors that can either make or break your business. He is the workshop leader of SCORE's workshop called "Creating a World Class Vision for your Business." It will introduce you to the concepts and techniques you must know to make it into the major leagues.

Horrigan is the founder of the Fountain Head Consulting Group in Roswell. You can read his biography and contact him online at fountainheadconsultinggroup.com.

Unlike writing a business plan, a strategic plan sets forth your most ambitious ideas to achieve during the next five to ten years. Furthermore, it is not necessarily the document to be shared with your banker or department heads. That is because it lacks the detail of your business plan. Instead, a strategic plan confines itself to unrestrained goals that can be achieved if the economy cooperates and your execution excels.

Do not bring pint-sized ideas to this workshop. Because if you think small, your achievements will likely be diminutive as well. The workshop will help you expand your thinking to maximize your results.

Although the workshop is suitable for some start-up companies, it will appeal more to existing businesses. "It's more aimed at an existing company, a few years old, that's trying to figure out where to go from here," says Sandy Perkowitz, volunteer SCORE business counselor and chairwoman of its workshop committee.

It is also recommended for experienced entrepreneurs that are starting a second or third business. The prerequisite is your desire to visualize how you want your business to grow and become inspired about getting there.

Workshop leader Horrigan says that his presentation will give you the tools to develop "a compelling vision that will totally transform your company and its employees." It will guide you on how to create "a sustainable competitive advantage for your business."

If you have written a business plan without a strategic plan, you do not have the full equation needed to maximize your goals, profit and lifestyle. This workshop completes the package.

OTHER INFORMATION:

About SCORE:

Since 1964, SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” has helped more than 8 million aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners through counseling and business workshops. It is a nonprofit resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. More than 11,200 volunteer business counselors in 370 chapters serve their communities through entrepreneur education dedicated to the formation, growth and success of small businesses. The Atlanta chapter has 100 volunteers in conveniently located branch offices.

Note to media: Photos of the SCORE counselors quoted and interviews are available upon request. For interviews with SCORE business counselors or SCORE small-business clients, contact SCORE’s chairman, Jeff Mesquita: e-mail, scoremarketing@joimail.com, cell: (770) 713-1702. You may use this article in part or in its entirety and distribute copies with credit to SCORE Atlanta www.scoreatlanta.org. The columnist’s CV is online at: tenonline.org/sref/jc1bio.html. You can follow him on Twitter, www.twitter.com/JerryChautin

SCORE Atlanta | Publish Date: 11.24.09 | Back to home |