How to Create a Simple Strategic Plan

Be sure to download and print out the handouts in this section. They are the only handouts/worksheets and you will be using them throughout the entire course as you create your Strategic Plan:

1) Strategic Plan Example - this is a real Strategic Plan so you can see what one looks like (I've included 2 formats, Word and PDF, so you may use whichever works best for you)

2) Strategic Plan Template - you can use this template to create your plan as you go through the lessons. Simply fill in each section as you track through the course.

Please take a few minutes to watch this lesson. I want to make sure you get the most out of this course and at the end have your very own Strategic Plan so you can create the business and life you really want.

Identifying Your Mission is the first step in the Strategic Planning process. Don't worry. It's not that complicated. In this lesson I share how you can determine your mission.

Creating your Vision is the second step in the Strategic Planning process. In this lesson I explain what your vision is and why it's so important to capture it in your plan.  

Traditional corporate Strategic Plans will have you write down specific measurable goals and objectives. Not so here! I think there's a better way and in fact, after doing this many years in my own business, I know it's better! In this lesson I explain the difference between Goals and Intentions, and I share why I prefer setting intentions.

In case you're a little unsure about the difference between Goals and Intentions, I wanted to share some specific examples to help clarify this for you. These are real examples I've used.

A SWOT Analysis can sound a bit scary, but it's not. It's actually pretty simple. In this lesson I explain what it is so you will be ready to move on to each step in the following lessons and do your very own SWOT Analysis.

The first step in doing your SWOT Analysis is creating a list of your Strengths (the "S" in SWOT!). In this lesson I help you do just that!

Time for step 2 in your SWOT Analysis... Creating a list of your Weaknesses. Don't worry, we all have them. And better to identify them upfront than to be surprised by them down the road. Knowing what they are will help you devise a plan to overcome them, or at least work around them.

OK, time for the third step in your SWOT Analysis... Identifying Opportunities that will make it easier to accomplish your intentions and make your plan your reality. In this lesson I explain what Opportunities are and how to identify yours.

Time for the T in SWOT Analysis: Threats. In this lesson I explain what Threats are and give you examples so you can determine anything that could threaten your ability to achieve your intentions.

It's time for the next step in your Strategic Plan, and that is developing your Strategies. I like to think of these as the Decisions You Will Make that will help turn your plan into reality. In this lesson I explain what I mean by that and share some examples.

The last step in creating your Strategic Plan is making a list of your Tactics. That's just a fancy word for deciding What Action You Will Take. Remember, your plan requires you to take action. Here is where you decide what you will need to do in order to achieve your intentions. In this lesson I explain how to do this and share some examples.

Once your Strategic Plan is complete you don't want to just file it away in a folder. It won't help you that way! It's time to start implementing those Strategies and Tactics. In this lesson I talk about implementing your plan. I prefer to think about it as Embarking On Your Journey because it is a journey. And it can be a fun and magical one that you will truly enjoy if you approach it the proper way. 

In this final lesson we do a brief recap and I share a few final words of inspiration to get you motivated to get out there and make your plan your reality!

Here is my suggestion from what to do after you complete this course.