Business & Farm Strategic Planning Mastermind Groups

Strategic Planning for Your Business or Farm

When I typed the term “strategic planning” into my Google search window, there were 18,700,000 matches – so I won’t try to define it for you here.

You can narrow down your search on www.Amazon.com where the same term resulted in only 32,598 books with it in their titles.

The people who write these books and who sell strategic planning services don’t seem to understand that you already know what strategic planning is, because you are already doing it – in some aspects of your business at least.

Fruit growers know that the apple trees they’re planting today won’t bear fruit for several years in the future.

Christmas tree growers know that it’s going to be eight years before the trees they’re planting today can be cut.

And developers know that from the day they get the title on the land until the first units are rented or sold can and often is – years.

So it’s not that you don’t know what strategic planning is when it comes to the operational side of your business, rather it’s your unwillingness to spend the time, energy and money on the not-so- clear-cut issues lurking in your future.

Why is that and where can you go to get started? Let me answer the second part of the question first. The place where you’ll get the strategic planning input you need is your peer group – so choose your fellow members wisely.

In my experience the reason people set aside the elements of strategic planning that they’re uncomfortable with is because they don’t have anyone who understands them and their business to talk to.

At least no one who is not getting paid based on the advice they provide.

And if they live, like most people, in relatively small or close knit communities, who can they confide in that they won’t see at church, or at the Rotary Club, etc.?

One time I met a lady in one of those small Kansas towns who owned the local beauty parlor. Her husband was the president of the local bank. It was like Mayberry RFD; everybody knew everything about everyone.

Does it really seem possible to have a strategic conversation about your business there without everything you discuss becoming common knowledge?

Who’s most likely to provide the actionable strategies you need to consider in order to plan for the future of your company, an expert at planning or someone who is planning for the future of their very successful company?

This is not an either/or question. When you combine a group’s experiences and use their input to help you formulate ideas and strategies you will be able to complete many of the key activities of strategic planning yourself.

And you will be a MUCH savvier consumer of the advice of the experts you will inevitably need to consult.

Business Mastermind Groups

Categories

New Comments