Hi Bob,

> One way to plan a strategy is to define your
> long term objectives and plan backwards to
> actions that should be taken today.

Yes, that's a good technique.... Thanks. :)

Without a final goal, strategy and tactics are essentially useless....

This is true not only in business, but in military strategy too.

One of the pre-eminent military strategists of the 20th century, B. H. Liddell Hart, defined "strategy" as"the art of distributing and applying military means to fulfill the ends of policy".(From Liddell Hart's book, "Strategy".)

In other words, strategy is applied to attain some goal, but you have to have the goal (or "policy" as he put it) first before you can develop the strategy.... Which I think is also embedded in what you said, Bob.

(Maybe a definition of "business strategy" could be "the art of distributing and applying business assets and means to fulfill a pre-defined goal" - from adapting Liddell Hart's definition....)

> A great example of this is given by Michael
> Gerber (author of the E-Myth series). He
> says the purpose of starting a business is
> to eventually sell it so you can get on with
> enjoying your life. Given that, you would
> develop an overall strategy to create a
> business that will be valued at some large
> figure at some designated future date, and
> one that will stand alone without your
> day-to-day involvement.

Yes, this is good too! :)

If you don't want to be eternally "tied" to your business, you better have an "exit strategy" prepared - such as a way to sell the business....

> It worked, as we made several hundred
> million in revenues in under two years,
> despite corporate pressure from above to cut
> corners for quicker cashflow, and severe
> political lobbying efforts from the
> competition.

> Anyway, just my take on how to employ
> strategic planning in a meaningful way in
> any size business.

Thanks Bob... It's good to know that strategic planning really does work.... :)

- Dien