Strategic Action Planning
Tell me if this sounds familiar…
You have plenty of ideas, but very little time to work on them—and you always feel like you should be doing more.
Long-term planning feels pointless, because everything is constantly changing.
You want to work on your goals, but you spend most of your time in reactive mode, taking care of customers and doing admin work.
You’re not alone. Finding time for business planning is difficult, especially for solo business owners.
Even executives in the corporate world have a hard time with it. But they have in-house strategy advisors, whose whole job is to craft and carry out strategic plans.
I want you to have access to a resource like that, too.
I used to be one of those advisors, at Google. But the people I really want to work with are small business owners like you.
You’re not out here to put competitors out of business (often, they’re your friends!)—but to contribute to a vibrant local community, and help people who need what you have to offer. Those things matter to me, too.
Whether your business is new or established, product or service-based—working with me on a strategic plan will help you clarify the path forward and show you exactly how to accomplish your most important goals.
Overview
This service is for business owners who have a lot to do, and not much time to do it.
If you’re always in reactive mode–taking care of your customers, putting out fires, and trying to find enough hours in the day to keep things running–you don’t have time to spend on planning. Let me take it off your plate.
I’ll organize your goals into a customized strategy, map out your path to achieve those goals, and create a simple, beautiful plan to get it all done. We’ll have monthly accountability meetings to make sure you feel 100% supported throughout the duration of your plan.
Keep reading for all the details, and email me with any questions.
What Clients are Saying
“Through our six-month engagement, Courtney helped me define my core values and mission, then we worked together to develop a strategic plan that aligned with those priorities. Thanks to her support, I now have a clear path forward that honors what I love most about my work while reducing the physical strain.”
—Mary Hermans, Nexus Botanical Arts
“As a solo business owner, I was really great at writing down lists of things to do, but I never had the time to map out how to tackle those to-dos over months. I only knew how to execute what was immediately ‘on fire’ for the week…Working with Courtney allowed me to take a top-down look at my business and think strategically versus transaction-ally.”
—Kim Behzadi, Read It & Eat Bookshop
“When you work with Courtney she is going to make your plan personal. She'll break all your goals down bite-size. She adds dates to these to help you visualize your ability to complete them. She works with you when your plans change, and helps you reprioritize if you get behind. Courtney is compassionate and a realist. It's been worth every penny to have her expertise in my corner and I'm so grateful I took the chance to work with her!”
—Casi Hall, Omie Oh My!
Business Planning Service Tiers
I offer two tiers of business planning. No matter your timeline, number of goals, or budget, there’s an option for you.
The first, and most popular, tier is Strategic Planning—a comprehensive 6 month plan with plenty of 1:1 support from me. See the next section for more details.
The second tier is Sprint Planning, which is a 3 month “lightweight” option. For details about Sprint Planning, click here.
The Strategic Planning Process
My strategic planning process guides you as you define what your goals are and why they matter to you, then we create a step-by-step plan for exactly how you’ll complete those goals.
*ORTs stands for Objectives, Results, & Tactics—my planning framework that allows for both long-term strategy setting and immediate action planning.
1. Business Values & Guardrails
In our first session, we’ll have a wide-ranging discussion to reveal your core business values and define the guardrails, (AKA boundaries) you need to honor to avoid burnout. These values and guardrails provide a foundation for the rest of our planning process.
After this session, I’ll share a personalized Business Values & Guardrails Assessment report with you:
Note: The Business Values & Guardrails Assessment is included in the 6 month strategic planning package only.
2. Brainstorming Your Goals
In our second session, we’ll brainstorm all the goals you have for your business—no filters. We’ll talk about why these goals are important to you and what achieving them would mean for your business.
I’ll also suggest goals based on your big-picture vision, or if I see opportunities to improve your business’s operational foundation. There’s no obligation to include my suggestions; the goals in your plan are 100% your call.
3. Building Your Objectives, Results, & Tactics
After our brainstorm, I map your goals onto my planning framework: Objectives, Results, & Tactics.
This framework enables me to transform an unstructured list of goals into a cohesive strategic vision with specific outcomes and actions.
During this done-for-you step, I prepare a complete view of your objectives aligned to your values, the results you’ve identified as your top priorities, and the step-by-step tactics to achieve your goals.
A typical 6 month strategic plan includes 4 Objectives.
4. Mapping & Prioritizing Your Goals
This is our third and final session. I’ll present your Objectives, Results, and Tactics to you and integrate your feedback. Then we’ll assign each of your Tactics a “due date”. This creates a structured road map for you to make steady progress toward each goal.
5. Launching Your Strategic Plan
After our mapping session, I’ll send your plan to you and we’ll review it together to make sure it’s perfect for you.
See what one of these plans looks like with the sample plan below (based on a fictional business.)
6. Accountability Check-ins
We’ll have monthly accountability check-ins for the duration of your plan. These check-ins function as coaching sessions where we’ll discuss what’s going well, roadblocks you’re encountering, and anything else I can help with.
If you need to make a significant change to your plan, one “re-work” strategy session is included in the planning process and can be scheduled when you need it.
Investment
6 Month Strategic Planning Package
For the complete strategic planning process, including Values & Guardrails assessment, a comprehensive 6 month strategic plan, accountability check-ins, & optional “rework” session—$849 total, paid in three installments ($250 deposit, $400 due after I deliver your plan to you, $199 due after our first monthly check-in.)
The Sprint Planning Process
The sprint planning process is similar to the strategic planning process, with a few key differences.
Keep reading for all the details, plus a chart comparing all of the feature similarities and differences between strategic & sprint planning.
1. Brainstorming Your Goals
In our first session, we’ll brainstorm the short-term goals you have for your business. We’ll talk about why these goals are important to you, what progress is possible in a 3 month time frame, and if you have any deadlines (such as an event or launch) to accommodate as part of your plan.
2. Building Your Objectives, Results, & Tactics
Similar to the strategic planning process, I’ll map your short-term goals to my Objectives, Results, and Tactics planning framework.
The key difference is that a sprint plan typically has 2 short-term Objectives, rather than 4 long-term Objectives in a 6 month strategic plan.
3. Mapping & Prioritizing Your Goals
This is our second (and final) planning session. I’ll present the Objectives, Results, and Tactics I’ve created for you and integrate your feedback. Then we’ll assign each of your Tactics a “due date” in your plan. This creates a structured road map for you to make steady progress toward each of your goals.
4. Launching Your Sprint Plan
After our final planning session, I’ll create your personalized plan and share it with you within 4 business days. We’ll review it together and incorporate any feedback or adjustments you request. Then your plan is officially launched!
5. Accountability Check-ins
After launching your sprint plan, we’ll have monthly accountability check-ins for the duration of the plan. These sessions are used to review the current month’s progress, look forward to next month and anticipate any roadblocks, and discuss any questions that have come up for you since our last meeting.
Investment
For the complete sprint planning process, including a comprehensive 3 month plan and monthly accountability check-ins: $489 total, paid in two installments ($200 deposit before we start, $289 due after I deliver your plan to you.)
Business Planning Package Feature Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
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Think of a strategic or sprint plan as business GPS. Your plan provides the step-by-step directions to move you closer to achieving your most important goals.
Having a thoughtfully-crafted, detailed plan enables you to:
—Define your vision and align your business activities with it.
—Use your limited time and energy effectively.
—Stop procrastination by knowing exactly what you should be working on, when it’s happening in your plan, and why it’s important to you.
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There’s no “wrong” time for putting a plan in place, but there are times when having a plan can be crucial to overcoming a challenge or making the most of an opportunity, such as:
—Persevering through a big change in your business, like a pivot or expansion.
—Preparing yourself and your business for a period of growth, team expansion, or push to the next level.
—Reacting to a slow-down, plateau, or loss of momentum in a way that will enable you to clarify your next steps and move forward with purpose.
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For most business owners, a 6-month strategic plan is the best option for clarifying and prioritizing business goals and creating a detailed roadmap for achieving them. If you want to articulate a long-term vision that’s aligned with your values and guardrails, the strategic planning process is best.
The sprint planning process works well when you want to address a smaller number of goals in a shorter time frame. For instance, if you want to accomplish a few defined goals to prepare for an upcoming busy season, event, or launch, a sprint plan will focus your time and energy on exactly what you need to do before that deadline arrives.
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From our first planning session to the launch of your plan takes 3-4 weeks.
We’ll have three planning sessions, then I create your plan and deliver it to you within 10 business days. We’ll review it together and officially launch it!
After launch, we’ll meet monthly for accountability & advisement sessions throughout the duration of your plan.
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From our first planning session to the launch of your sprint plan takes about 2 weeks.
We’ll have two planning sessions, then I create your plan and deliver it to you within 4 business days. We’ll review it together and officially launch it!
After launch, we’ll meet monthly for accountability & advisement sessions throughout the duration of your plan.
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Nope! This process is flexible to meet the needs of different businesses and situations. We’ll discuss any goals you already have, your overall vision, and collaborate on selecting any additional goals that make sense.
If you’d like support with defining your overall vision or direction, I offer optional “pre-planning” sessions as an add-on, where we’ll have targeted discussions to clarify your big picture so we can map the steps to get there.
Ask me about this option in our free intro call to see if it would be helpful for you.
Don’t see your question here? Email me.
Next steps
If you’re ready to get a step-by-step plan in place to reach your goals, the next step is to schedule a free 30 minute intro call with me.
After our conversation, I’ll share a detailed written proposal for how we can work together on a sprint or strategic plan for your business.
Looking for something a little different?
Check out my business operations analysis and general consulting services.