> Hi Mike,

> Thanks.... That was one of those posts which
> can cause you to rethink you're whole
> approach to everything!

> I know about strategy.... But what your post
> made clear to me is that I'm not really
> applying what I know!

> One thing which used to confuse me on this
> topic was what seems to be a difference
> between military and business strategy. In
> military strategy, you usually have a clear
> "enemy", and you also have to
> consider the physical environment and
> geography. For example, the fact that the
> Confederate South was reliant on its sea
> ports (a fact determined by geography),
> helped to determine General Winfield Scott's
> strategy.

> In business, the main factors are your
> target market and your competitors. What do
> your target market want, and what are they
> getting already (and NOT yet getting) from
> your competitors? These factors will help
> determine your strategy....

Dien,

A business plan is important. Some parts being more long-lasting than others. Business plans for the most part are out-of-date once you print it off. Why? Many of our assumptions turn out flawed (very quickly I might add), which can render the plan useless unless it is kept up to date and kept flexible. Most business plans don't take into account the many angles and turns our lives take.

I say this from experience...one of my jobs is to help businesses in my county create business plans to get access to government loans. And most plans I work on are horrible. They fall apart in a number of areas. Mostly, they lack long-term vision and they are full of unmeasurable statements like, "We know are business will succeed because we will service the customer better than the competition"--unmeasurable, unquantifiable. A business plan needs things that can be measured so you know if you're on the right track or not. Many people don't know how to do that or they don't want to look like they've made incorrect assumptions.

Another point on your post. You mention two important areas that do need extensive coverage in a business plan...the target market and your competitors. Both can be strategized for and tactics developed.

Competitors and the target market are two-legs of the stool...what about the third (which rarely gets accounted for in any business plan)...YOURSELF. This is where (in my opinion) many fall down on and causes their plan to fail. What steps are you going to take to put your plan into motion. How do you know if you are making good progress everyday or just wasting time? How are you going to ensure you own success? The 'tools' out there are many...

Visualization
Positive Thinking
NLP
Networking
7 Habits of Highly Suceessful Poeople
Psychocybernetics
Pictograms
Goal Setting
Structural Tension

How do you know which will work and which will not? How will you quantify your progress?

Personally I see more business plans (and businesses) fail due to the failing of the founders/owners to plan for 'themselves' rather than the business failing due to competitors and the target market. I think money can be made in virtually any business sector with good marketing techniques. Someone's business will fail and they will blame market conditions or competitors rather than blame their inability to strategize for themselves. You are a separate entity from your business and you need a plan for yourself as well as a plan for your business. And then once you have the plan(s) processes have to be put in place to measure the results. And then we make changes and remeasure. And so on and so on and so on...

Take care,

Mike Winicki