Tag Archive for: Strategic Planning

H&S August Newsletter — Non-Profit Edition Now Available



H&S Companies August 2012 Newsletter BackH&S August 2012 Newsletter FrontIn This Edition:

  • Final 990 Regulations Mean Big Changes for Non-Profits: New regulations for the redesigned 990 form took effect September 7, 2011.
  • AICPA Governmental Audit Quality Center: Learn more about what H&S is doing to continue to provide the highest quality service possible.
  • Correct Documentation Matters: Poor documentation could cause your donors’ deductions to be denied.
  • Strategically Planning for Success: Strategic plans aren’t just for for-profit businesses.
  • Don’t Forget About the Health Care Credit: Remember, the Affordable Care Act provides relief to small employers for health insurance they pay on behalf of their employees.
  • H&S Client in the Spotlight: The People Center

Download the H&S Companies August newsletter

H&S August Newsletter — Non-Profit Edition Now Available



H&S Companies August 2012 Newsletter BackH&S August 2012 Newsletter FrontIn This Edition:

  • Final 990 Regulations Mean Big Changes for Non-Profits: New regulations for the redesigned 990 form took effect September 7, 2011.
  • AICPA Governmental Audit Quality Center: Learn more about what H&S is doing to continue to provide the highest quality service possible.
  • Correct Documentation Matters: Poor documentation could cause your donors’ deductions to be denied.
  • Strategically Planning for Success: Strategic plans aren’t just for for-profit businesses.
  • Don’t Forget About the Health Care Credit: Remember, the Affordable Care Act provides relief to small employers for health insurance they pay on behalf of their employees.
  • H&S Client in the Spotlight: The People Center

Download the H&S Companies August newsletter

H&S August Newsletter — Non-Profit Edition Now Available



H&S Companies August 2012 Newsletter BackH&S August 2012 Newsletter FrontIn This Edition:

  • Final 990 Regulations Mean Big Changes for Non-Profits: New regulations for the redesigned 990 form took effect September 7, 2011.
  • AICPA Governmental Audit Quality Center: Learn more about what H&S is doing to continue to provide the highest quality service possible.
  • Correct Documentation Matters: Poor documentation could cause your donors’ deductions to be denied.
  • Strategically Planning for Success: Strategic plans aren’t just for for-profit businesses.
  • Don’t Forget About the Health Care Credit: Remember, the Affordable Care Act provides relief to small employers for health insurance they pay on behalf of their employees.
  • H&S Client in the Spotlight: The People Center

Download the H&S Companies August newsletter

What’s the difference between a vision statement and mission statement?



Take time to sit down with your team to define your vision and mission statements.

The strategic planning process starts with knowing and defining your vision and mission statements. Together these two statements make a powerful impression regarding what’s important to your company, but people frequently think they’re the same thing. So, what is a vision statement and mission statement?

A vision statement defines what your organization wants to accomplish. What is your vision of the future?

A mission statement defines what your organization sets out to do each day. What makes you unique right now?

Remember, the mission should drive the vision – what you do each day, should push towards achieving what you want to see for the future. Once these two statements are defined, you can work towards developing a strategic plan that helps accomplish your stated goals.

For more information about strategic planning, contact Lynda Nance.

Lynda Nance
Business Development Strategist
616.884.7952
lyndan@hscompanies.com

Is Your Plan SMART?



Your goals need to be SMART. Make sure they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Framed and you’ll be well on your way to winning the race. (Photo Credit: Fotolia.com)

Defining goals is a great way to start on a path towards achieving a desired outcome, but many people define what they want and ignore defining how to get there.

Remember, a successful plan must be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Framed. Here’s a closer look at how to define SMART goals:

Specific: Be sure to make the goal as specific as possible. Don’t just say you want to “grow your business”, define it with a statement like, “I want to grow my business by targeting men ages 18-25”.

Measurable: It’s hard to gauge whether you’re successful if you can’t track your progress. Be sure your goals are measurable, and then take the time to track and analyze the analytics.

Achievable: Don’t make your goals so outrageous they’re not achievable.

Relevant: Make sure all the pieces of your plan are relevant to your over

all long-term objectives. It doesn’t do any good to work on something that doesn’t help the overall goal.

Time-Framed: Make sure your goal has a time frame. This will allow you to stay focused and assess your success at a predetermined time.

Interested in learning more? Check out Strategically Planning for Success by Lynda Nance, Business Development Strategist, in our April newsletter.

Strategically Planning for Success



A great plan requires input from the whole team. (Photo Credit: office.microsoft.com)

Strategy is defined as a plan of action designed to achieve a vision. Strategic planning is the process used by organizations of all shapes and sizes to define their long-term strategy or direction to help them “win”. When utilized correctly, a strategic plan will enable an organiza­tion to make decisions, and allocate resources appropriately so that the long-term strategy is achieved.

A comprehensive plan involves the following compo­nents: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, vision/mis­sion, long-term objectives, mid-term goals, short-term tactics, and metrics.

As with all processes, success requires the knowledge of the tools available and the ability to implement. The most successful planning sessions utilize a series of brain­storming exercises followed by clarifying questions, and a vote of the members to determine the most important ideas gener­ated. During the brainstorming sessions, all ideas are recorded and nothing is dismissed. This is where the best “outside of the box” ideas are created. The brainstorming process is followed to create all of the components of the plan, with the exception of the short-term tactics and metrics.

Successful implementation occurs only when SMART (spe­cific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-framed) goals and tactics are set and metrics are in place. It is important when setting these goals to ensure that the achievement of the goals will lead to the stated long-term objectives and mis­sion of the organization.

Strategic planning is like a GPS. Used correctly, it will guide an organization to the destination in the most efficient manner.

Want to learn more about strategically planning for your success? Contact Lynda Nance, Business Development Strategist.

616.884.7952
lyndan@hscompanies.com

Welcome, Lynda Nance!

H&S Companies is proud to announce the addition of Lynda Nance, of Nance Business Solutions in Rockford, to the H&S Team. Her areas of focus will be business consulting, LEAN manufacturing and strategic planning.

To read the full press release, please click here: Welcome, Lynda Nance!