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The One Page StrategicPlanPlan Your Entire Year On OneSheet Of PaperLaura PoseyChief InstigatorDancing Elephants Achievement Group 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
IntroductionHow many of you are reading this ebook because you thought planningwas something you were supposed to do? Are you reading it because youthought planning was “a necessary evil of business” or because someoneadvised you to get a plan? 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
I’ll confess – when I did my first plan it was because I thought it was justsomething business owners “had” to do. I didn’t really believe it wouldchange my business – and my life – so significantly.I didn’t do my first plan until 2004, a full 3 years into my business life. At aNational Speaker’s Association conference, the incredible RoxanneEmmerich of Emmerich Financial Group introduced me to a planning toolsimilar to the one I’ll show you today. I completed my first plan at thatconference but I’ll admit, I didn’t really use it fully.It wasn’t until a few years later that I discovered the true power of havinga strategic plan that can be used every day.In the winter of 2006, I was so fed up with my business, I took a two-weeksabbatical in Sedona, Arizona to clear my head and redirect my energies. Iwas so unhappy, I was seriously considering giving up the business I’d putmy heart and soul into for 5 years. After two weeks in the clear desert air,I wrote my second strategic plan. This time I stuck to it.From the moment I returned from Arizona, I looked at my plan each day.It was a constant reminder of my desires and my focus and it helped memake some of the toughest, but most necessary decisions of my life. Usingmy plan as a guide, I was able to achieve the financial and emotionalfreedom I had so long sought.I now spend most of my business time sharing this incredible tool withclients. It has fundamentally changed not only the way I interact withclients, but their results as well.Prior to implementing this planning process with clients, I was excitedwhen one of them would see a 20% increase in sales over the course of ayear. Now, using this strategic planning tool I’m disappointed if I don’t seeat least a 50% increase during that same time. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
Yes, one sheet of paper can make that much difference in your business.Take a moment to imagine what you could accomplish if you could harnessall of your energy, and the energy of those around you, into one clear, welldefined direction. Imagine if you could tap into your passion on a dailybasis and put it all into your business. Imagine your days energizing,rather than draining, you. Imagine knowing exactly where to spend yourtime and money for the biggest returns. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
Why Bother Planning?When I met Gary, he was, to put it simply, a bit of a mess. He hadpurchased his business from his father and had grown it to almost 1million in revenue. That was the good part.The bad part was that he had a huge line of credit payment coming dueand he had no idea how he was going to pay it. His accountant hadn’t donehis taxes in two years or balanced his books and he didn’t really know howmuch money he had in the business. He had two staff members, one ofwhom was wonderful but underutilized and one of whom had a badattitude and was a constant source of frustration.Gary was spending ten hours a day in business, running from crisis tocrisis. He was stressed, tired and grumpy. It seemed that no matter howhard he worked, he just couldn’t get ahead.Gary and I had a short conversation in which I told him I could help bycreating a One Page Strategic Plan with him. I laid out the benefits ofplanning for him. Finding his passion in the business Creating focus for him and his employees Giving him a daily reminder of the most important things to do Eliminating the distractions in his days Showing him the right opportunities to pursue Helping him make big decisions in less than 30 seconds Aligning his time, money and employees towards one purpose Harnessing the best of his employees and himself Gaining control of his business again 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
Generating larger profitsHis eyes got wide and he said, “If doing a plan will do even half of that forme, I’m in!” A short time later we spent a day together, digging into hiscompany and creating his plan together.In just six months, Gary has made incredible progress. He not only paid offhis credit line but also straightened out his tax situation. He found theperfect role for his great employee and she is thriving. His “problem”employee was so energized by the new focus of the company, he reengagedand now is a terrific part of the team.Gary wrote in his plan that he wanted to double his revenue in one yearand he is on track to do that. He has opened a second location (also in hisplan).Best of all, he now works no more than 5 hours a day and has time topursue his passions outside of work. And, you guessed it, that is exactlywhat he wrote in this plan that he wanted.Gary’s story is not unusual. It is just one example of how pre-determiningwhat you want and how you’ll get there yields dramatic results. If you’lltake the time to plan, you can and will have everything you desire. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
Why Use A One Page Strategic Plan?There are many planning tools on the market today. Some of them arevery useful while others just generate reams of ideas which sit on a shelf,never to be used again.The One Page Strategic Plan is different for several reasons. It will benefityou because you will Focus your ideas onto one sheet of paper Tap into both sides of your brain for greater achievement Have a tool to share with family, employees and investorsLet’s look at each area in a bit more detail before we get into creating yourOne Page Strategic Plan.Light Bulbs to Laser BeamsOne of the greatest problems in small businesses today is a lack of focus.Entrepreneurs are smart people and they think up new ideas all the time.Not only that, but they spot potential opportunities wherever they go.This can lead to “bright shiny object syndrome” or a pattern of chasingafter new things so often, they never get the old things done. The result isa business that spreads its resources too thin, that wastes time and moneyon projects that never turn a profit.The solution is to create specific points of focus and stay with them untilthey are completed. You’ll do exactly that in your One Page Strategic Plan.Never again will you waste your precious resources going in the wrongdirection. Each day you’ll know exactly what to do and how to do it. Best of 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
all, you’ll have the decision-making tools you need to respondappropriately to each opportunity that crosses your path. Some of thoseopportunities will be incorporated into your plan while others will berejected, and rightly so.You are about to go from being a light bulb tobeing a laser beam. What’s the difference youask?A light bulb is simply an implement that putsout diffuse waves of energy to illuminate aspace. It’s much like the ideas in anentrepreneur’s head. There is lots of potentialpower, but it is unfocused and chaotic.A laser beam, on the other hand, is animplement that takes those very same waves ofenergy, aligns them in an orderly fashion and focuses them in one spot. Alaser beam doesn’t need a lot of energy to generate great power. Being alaser beam can turn an average entrepreneur into a millionaire.So, are you excited? Are you ready to get focused, energized and directed?Are you ready to turn your light bulb tendencies into laser beam power?Intuitive PlanningThe One Page Strategic Plan uses a much different approach to planningthan other tools. Rather than limiting your future success to the skills youhave learned in the past, it takes a look at your ideal future and plansbackwards from there. It uses an intuitive approach to planning ratherthan a linear approach. Here is what that difference looks like.When you use the past to create the future you often end up with lineargrowth. That is, if you have historically grown 10% you will create a 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
business that grows 10% in the future. It is likely that you’ll just repeat thepast but in greater quantity. That is, you’ll work harder or longer toachieve the higher results.However, if you decide you want a business that is 500% larger than yourcurrent business and you plan backwards from that ideal place to whereyou are now, you’ll find innovative and creative ways to make thathappen. You will tap into the creative side of your brain to find new andbetter ways of running your business rather than just repeating themistakes and inefficiencies of the past.The One Page Strategic Plan allows you to use your intuitive mind, not justyour logical mind, to plan. In this book, you will be learning how to planusing your subconscious mind, rather than using just your consciousmind. By harnessing the power of both sides of your brain, you willaccomplish your goals faster and more easily.Let me explain why.As you may know, there are two sides to your brain. The left side is the“logical” or linear side. It is sequential, analytical, and rational. It looks atthe component parts of a problem and solves them individually. This is thepart of the brain that turns on suddenly when you notice a dip in sales andyou think, “I have to fix that!”The left side of the brain is used in linear growth planning. It is great atlooking at the past, at the facts of what is and using those thoughts tocreate the future. It is wonderful at “This is the way we have always doneit” planning.The right side of the brain is the “creative” or intuitive side. It is great atthinking up new ideas, looking at the big picture and putting all the partstogether. Your emotions reside on the right side of the brain as well. This is 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
the part of your brain that “sees” your company as it can be and cancreate ways to make it happen. It is the part of the brain that gets excitedat the possibilities and the opportunities.Most traditional strategic planning is done with the left side of the brain inmind. That is, someone makes a list of problems and determines solutionsfor each problem. The challenge with this, from my perspective, is that youend up with a lot of individual plans, none of which are aligned with theothers. You make a really bright light bulb, in other words.I’m going to teach you strategic planning on theright side of the brain. You’re going to use yourability to look at the big picture, to pull outcreative ideas and visualize them happening. Inaddition, you’re going to tap into the emotionbehind the ideas to lend energy and fun to theprocess. Ultimately, because you are alwayskeeping the big picture in mind as you drill downto implementable ideas, you’re going to stayfocused on what you really want to achieve. Youwill create a laser beam of your business!By using the right side of your brain to create your plan you will plan abusiness that you love so much you can’t imagine doing anything else. Youwill create a business that fills your heart, as well as your wallet.Rowing In The Same DirectionMany entrepreneurs suffer from isolation and lack of support. Theybelieve strongly in what they are doing and they have a vision for theirfuture but they struggle to convey it to others. As a result, they can fail to 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
get full support from their family and friends and they end up feelingunappreciated and undervalued.To make matters worse, many entrepreneurs have trouble getting theirstaff to understand what they are building and they lack true buy-in andcommitment from their employees. The result is higher than necessaryturnover, uninspired workers and teams that fail to live up to theirpotential.The One Page Strategic Plan is a terrific tool for sharing your vision andideas with others. It can demonstrate to your support network that youare focused and you know exactly where you are headed.For your employees it brings a sense of purpose and alignment. Once theyknow clearly where they are going and why, it is easy to get them allpulling together and harness the power of their creativity, energy andenthusiasm. You’ll find it much easier to have a harmonious andproductive staff with this one sheet of paper. They, just as you, will beinspired by an inner passion to succeed, rather than motivated by someoutside enticement like money.Using your One Page Strategic Plan daily will keep you and your companyfocused, energized and excited about success. Best of all, it works soquickly and easily you will soon see results that will propel you on to evengreater achievements. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
Keys For Creating Your PlanOkay, I know you are chomping at the bit to start planning and I promisethis is the last chapter before we do just that. It is important that you havethe right mindset going into this planning process, so let’s review just afew things to do to prepare for planning.Relax – You Can’t Screw It UpBefore you actually sit down to write your plan, go someplace that youenjoy being where you won’t be disturbed. You won’t need long – typicallyno more than an hour – to do the whole plan.Before you put pen to paper, relax your mind and take a few nice deepbreaths. Allow yourself to be excited about creating your company.It is important to note that you cannot do this wrong. It is impossible toscrew it up so let go of any apprehension or tension you feel. Whatever youdecide is the right thing right now. You always have the freedom to go backand revise your plan so just let the ideas flow.Use Your IntuitionWhen doing your plan, listen to your gut. If youhave to come up with a number, use the first onethat pops into your head, not one you have tocalculate. Your subconscious mind operates at amuch faster pace than your conscious mind and itcan figure out the “right” answer for you in a blink.Dream Big And Don’t About “How”As you go through the worksheet, you’ll be askedto think about what you most dearly want. Don’t 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
be afraid to dream big, big, big! Let your imagination wander and tap intowhat makes you deeply joyous, not just satisfied. Think about how youideally want to live and be and what you most want to have and writethose things down.Don’t let your dreaming be hampered by not knowing “how” you’ll getwhat you want. We’ll plan for some of the “how” and the rest will show upalong the way. With your One Page Strategic Plan, you’ll always recognizethe right opportunities to seize to get what you want so you don’t have toworry about how you will get to your vision. You will know when ithappens.Let Go Of The PastIt is important to note that what you have done in the past has gotten youto where you are now. However, if you are not exactly where you want tobe, what you’ve done in the past isn’t sufficient to get you to your vision.There is nothing that you have done up until now that you have to takewith you into the future. As you create your ideal future in your mind andwork backwards from it to create your plan, you may find that some ofyour past experiences will serve you in the future but others may not.That means you will need to change many things to achieve your idealfuture but you’ll find that change is fun and exciting when it is fueled bypassion. If you can let go of the past ways of doing things you will find iteasier to allow your mind to create new and better ways of getting whatyou want. The past is limiting; the future is unlimited.Think About Yourself But Beyond YourselfAs you create your plan, you’re going to create a company that existsoutside of you. That is, you’re going to create a business that can exist 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
without you at some point. You’re moving from having an income stream(a paycheck) to having a saleable asset (an investment).Each step of the plan needs to be looked at from the standpoint ofremoving your time and presence from the company. That doesn’t meanyou can’t work in it, it means you don’t have to work in the company.At the same time, remember that this company exists to serve you.Therefore, its ideals, its culture, and its values should reflect yours. Itshould be something you are proud to own and proud to have your nameassociated with.I promised that was the last chapter before we dive in and start planning.Ready? Let’s create your One Page Strategic Plan! 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
The One Page Strategic Plan OverviewThere are nine small parts that add up to the One Page Strategic Plan.Each builds on the last so that every part of the plan is aligned andfocused. Here is a visual representation of the plan the nine parts. We’ll gointo much more detail in the succeeding chapters.(Note: this book is written to allow you to do the strategic planning processyourself in under one day. However, we recommend working with a strategicplanning coach to get the best results from this process. If you don’t have a coach,we will be happy to recommend one of our One Page Strategic Plan certifiedcoaches to work through the process with you. Just emailLaura@dancingelephants.net and we’ll get have a coach call you for a freeconsultation.) 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
The FoundationThe first step on the pyramid is appropriately your foundation. Just as abuilding needs a strong foundation to stand for a long time, so does yourbusiness. In the case of a building, the foundation is made of blocks andmortar. In your business, your foundation is made of your core values andbeliefs.Core values and beliefs are defined as the way you see the world; what youbelieve to be true about how things are and how you want them to be. Theyare your ideas of the way you will run your company and make decisions.Imagine that you got to be God and you got to write your owncommandments for your company. Your core values and beliefs would bethose commandments.Just as commandments are guidelines for decision-making and behaviorfor living, so, too, are your foundations for your business. Your core valuesand beliefs determine how you treat customers, employees and suppliers;how you interact with the larger community; who to hire, sell to and buyfrom. They are the guidelines by which people will judge whether toengage with you. They are guidelines you and your employees will use todecide who you should engage with.Your core values and beliefs become your company’s culture. They dictatebehavioral expectations and help the people who are the right fit for youand your company identify and connect with you.When you create your company foundations, you can leave the companyfor long periods and not worry about whether your staff will run itaccording to the way you would. You have stated clearly your expectationsfor decision making and you can let your employees simply follow therules. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
Here is another analogy to help you understand the importance of yourfoundations. Suppose you were going to build a highway towards one ofyour goals in life. Your core values and beliefs would be like guardrails onthat highway. They would keep you on the straight and narrow and helpyou stay on track rather than wandering off in the wrong direction.The key is to build a business based on your core values and beliefs andnot somebody else’s. It doesn’t matter what someone else believes, evensomeone you admire and respect. This is about creating your perfectcompany, not someone else’s. If you are going to live by someone else’sbeliefs, you might as well get a job somewhere.Here are a few examples to get your mind started.One of my core beliefs is that the world is abundant. That means to me thatthere is no such thing as scarcity. There is so much abundance, in mybelief, we can’t even comprehend it all. That also means, because there isso much of everything, that I have no competition. There is more thanenough to go around so I don’t have to compete for business. Even if Imake 10 million, there is plenty more money for everyone else.Another of my personal core beliefs is that money is energy and isconstantly in circulation; that is, itis impossible to “have” either ofthem. If I earn 1 million, I don’tget to keep it. Either I spend it, inwhich case it flows back into thesystem and through other people’slives, or I save it, in which case thebank I invest with loans it out andit, again, flows through otherpeople’s lives. For me, it is all flowing rather than static. My decision, then, 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
is how much of the stream of energy I want to have pass through me andhow much I want to control. Having this belief keeps me focused onenjoying the flow of money in and out of my life rather than feeling like Ihave to “have” it someplace fixed.A third belief of mine is that if I serve, I will have everything I wantbecause serving is what I want. I believe that doing good work for otherswill bring me the money that I want as well as a sense of well-being andwholeness. I enjoy doing things for others and I love knowing I can makeall the money I want while having fun.Here are a few more beliefs that other clients have shared with me:On the ladder of life, you have one hand reaching up for help and onehand reaching down to help others.If you help enough other people, the Universe, Jesus or whateveryou call it will help you get everything you want and be everythingthat you can be.If you think something is the end of the world, check again in 24hours.Gratitude is a choice.People should be appreciated for what they do.Without integrity, nothing works.There are good ways to treat people and bad ways to treat people.Always choose the good.Everyone already possesses the greatness they need to achieveeverything they want.When you use your sense of humor, you make the world a betterplace.The more we surrender to being led, the more life shows up.For every harsh situation, there are blessings in the middle of it.Our employees value hard work and give 100% to our clients. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
We are passionate about client results and we always give ourclients our best.We value clients who are coachable and who seek alignment withtheir actions and goals.Work has to be fun!We empower our employees and give them everything they need tomake the right decisions for our clients.We support out-of-the-box thinking.We share our stories so that we may learn together.Price is never a question when you do a better job than everyoneelse.Our handshake and our word are our promises.Do you feel how these core beliefs come from your heart and the deeperplaces within you? These are ideas that shape the way you see and behavein the world in a fundamental way.These are the foundations for your business. No matter how many peopleyou have or how big this thing gets, you are your business. A long timeago, somebody told me, “Never forget that your business exists to serveyou.” You may exist to serve others, but your business exists to serve you.Create what you want based on your beliefs and the things that areimportant to you.Stop right now and go to the workbook and write down your core valuesand beliefs on the worksheet. Don’t think about them. You know them. Youlive them. What are the lessons you want to pass on to your children?What do you want the world to run by? What are the rules for you? Justwrite what comes to you. Don’t worry about wordsmithing right now. Youcan always go back and make the language prettier. Right now, just get themain ideas down. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
STOP! Go to the workbook right now and fill in the foundationpart of your plan.These are your guardrails on the highway to building what you want.They’re the things you test every decision by. Take just a few minutes towrite down your beliefs. Because they are such an integral part of you,they should just flow from you. Don’t think about them – feel them. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
Your VisionYou now have your foundations. You have your guardrails on yourhighway. You know how you’re going to make decisions. You have a tool tohelp your employees make decisions on your behalf when you are awayfrom the office. You have defined for yourself, your company and everyonewho comes in contact with you, how you will behave. Isn’t it nice to havesuch a clear way of seeing things? Isn’t it reassuring to have such a tool touse?Now it’s time to take a look at where you want to take your business. It’stime to create your vision.A quick look at the dictionary reveals the definition of “vision” as relatingto the imagination and seeing that which has not yet happened.In short, your vision is your imagination of what you want you life, andbusiness, to be like. It is your projection of how things will be when theyare just the way you want them.Imagine making a movie of the restof your life and being able to writethe script anyway you like. Imaginehaving as much time, money andenergy to be, have and do whateveris interesting to you. What is in thatscript? What scenes do you seebeing played out? Did I mentionthat the budget for this movie isunlimited?So, what do you want? What pictures come to mind when you think aboutthings that make you happy? If I asked you to tell me a story about 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
something that makes you feel wonderful, what would you say? If I askedyou what you’d most like to create in your business and how you’d mostlike to work, what story would you tell me?Tap into the passion that drives you on the deepest level. What is it thatlights up your soul, that makes you feel most alive and most connected tothe world around you. Your vision is something that inspires you to beeverything you can and to live your very highest purpose. It becomes thefuel for your actions, driving you on to live exactly as you wish each andevery day.Don’t limit yourself to what you think is possible from where you are now.We will deal with the “how” you’ll get to your vision in a little bit. Rightnow, tap into the right side of your brain and allow your creative side toproduce pictures, stories and fantasies of the way you’d like things to be.Don’t worry about getting it “right.” There is no right vision. The onlything that matters is what you want.Don’t worry, either, about setting this vision in stone. You can alwayschange it later as you grow and develop. Just think about what you mostwant based on where you are now. Think big and allow yourself to feel thewonderful feelings that come up when you think about something youreally want.Here are some examples from my clients to get the juices flowing for you:I want to take a 180-day around the world cruise so I can see theplaces I want to go back and explore.I want to create a foundation that helps families adopt children fromoverseas. We will provide no-charge legal and support services forany family that wants help.I want to be fire chief in my home town. 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
I want to be the go-to business guru who is so successful that othersseek my advice on how to grow their companies. I want to be able tofund their ideas too.I want to change the way healthcare is run in this country andconvince health insurance companies they should coverpreventative and alternative medicine practices such as housecleaning, massage, acupuncture, etc.I want to prevent homeless animals from being euthanized bycreating an organization that gives money to rescue organizationsso they can take care of more animals.I want to create a scholarship fund that pays for private school,uniforms, books, housing, transportation, etc for two middle schoolkids from each school in my city so they have a chance at a betterlife through education.I want to be able to get up any day and decide to hop on a plane tosomeplace cool.I want to live in 10 world cities for at least a year each. I will rent ahouse in each, learn the language and immerse myself in theirculture.I want to pay for college for every kid in my family including nieces,nephews, grandkids, etc.I want to buy a new house for my parents and pay for live-in care sothey can grow old comfortably in their own home.Do you get the idea? Dream as big as you want and have fun with this!Go to the workbook and write down your vision of your perfect life. Writeall the things you want to be, have and do. Don’t limit them to yourbusiness just yet. Write how you want to spend your days, how muchmoney you want to have flow through your life and what the mostmeaningful things are that you are doing. Many people find that if theyhad all the money they wanted, they would give back to their communitiesin some way or create charitable foundations to help others. Still othersfind they want to travel to faraway places or create opportunities for 2010 Dancing Elephants www.dancingelephants.net
friends and family members. Dream big and don’t limit yourself in anyway.Now that you know what you want, let’s figure out how your company cangive it to you. After all, your company is just a tool to provide you with thelifestyle you desire.What do you want your company to look like? How big is it? How muchrevenue does it earn? How many people work in it? What is it known for?Your vision for your company is the picture you paint of your idealorganization. Whatever it earns is what you could sell it for since we arebuilding it to exist without you. It is a separate entity that has value youcan use to reach your goals and dreams.My vision has cha
The One Page Strategic Plan allows you to use your intuitive mind, not just your logical mind, to plan. In this book, you will be learning how to plan using your subconscious mind, rather than using just your conscious mind. By harnessing the power of both sides of your brain, you will accomplish your goals faster and more easily.
