Business Strategy Development

Recent surveys have shown that 85% of small and medium sized companies are a bit like Alice they don't know where they are going. They have spent little or no time planning for the future and then wonder why things go wrong.

Having a written strategy, business plan and vision for the future is essential for your business to be successful. A study by Harvard Business School in the states produced some amazing figures. They studied students over a 30-year period and discovered that only 3% of them had written plans. The amazing fact however was that this 3% earned more than the other 97% added together. It is exactly the same for businesses.

Companies that fail, stagnate and don't grow and those that don't develop in general don't have plans and strategies. Like Alice they don't know where they are going, don't know what road to take and don't know how long it will take them.

A study conducted in the North East of England to review why company's fail bears this out. It states that lack of business planning; financial planning and marketing plans were some of the key reasons for failure.

Many people feel that writing a business plan or developing a strategy is a waste of time. Well here at SBP we don't agree we think that it is vital. We also think that plans need to be reviewed developed regularly and that you will need different plans for different needs. You might need plans for the bank manager, to raise finance, get a grant, or simply to help the MD plan their own direction and future, the plan will be different in each of these cases and will need to be written appropriately for each of these.

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT / BUSINESS PLANNING

We have vast experience in developing company strategies, developing business plans and helping companies to get on the road they want to or to the place they wish to go to as quickly as possible. We are so confident that we can help companies we run a strategy-planning day where you pay us what you think it is worth. To find out more click here.

SBP can also help companies in other key strategic and financial areas as outlined below: -

GRANT AID AND SUPPORT

SBP have a vast network of contacts in all the areas of fund raising and grant support. We are accredited by the Department of Industry Manufacturing Advisory Service to provide free business diagnostics and then consultancy grants of £2500 for manufacturing companies. We are accredited by the Institute for Independent Business to provide subsidised support to owner managers of SME businesses etc. To find out more click here.

RAISING FINANCE

We have a network of business finance companies ranging from those willing to invest a few thousand pounds to millions. We can assist in developing plans to obtain the cash as well as actually obtaining the funding you require for your business need. We have exceptional contact in the North of England and in companies with a technology need.

EXIT PLANNING

Amazingly 60 –70% of all SME owners are looking in the future to exit their businesses. However virtually none of them plan how this will be achieved. Those that do don't start the process early enough to achieve the best price for the business or to have the most tax effective solution. As a result companies sell for less than they should, owner pay to much tax or the owner stays with the business for years longer than they wanted to. SBP have some of the best experts in these areas available to discuss how you will exit your business. To find out more click here.

BUSINESS START UP

If you are a starting or thinking of starting a business then you know how difficult it is. If you need support, advise or just a friendly person to talk to get in touch. To find out more click here.