Business Strategies and Tactics
Many entrepreneurs and small business owners do not spend much, if any time planning for their business success. The biggest reason, in my opinion, is that they are not aware how easy this can be when they are willing to take the time and make the effort to plan out what they wish to achieve. Most people, when they hear the words Strategic Planning or Tactical Planning, get a glazed-over look on their faces. Actually, these can be rather simple tasks to manage if you understand a few things about them.
Over the past ten years I have worked personally with hundreds of people as they build and grow their online businesses. Time and again I see that many of these online entrepreneurs tend to remain focused on the tactics of what needs to be done rather than concentrating on the strategies needed in order to be successful.
I define strategies as higher thinking plans and goals and tactics as the tasks you do in order to achieve them. In other words, your strategies allow you to expand over time, whereas your tactics are ones that can be accomplished by delegating to others many times. Focus on strategy and you will not get bogged down with the details.
Some of the Differences Between Strategy and Tactics…
- Future Goals…Immediate Needs
- Planning…Doing
- What Can Be…What Is
- Large Scale…Smaller Scale
- Big Picture…Day to Day
- Why You Do Something…How You Do It
- Your Specific Goal…Your Plan for Attaining the Goal
- You must do it…Easy to outsource or delegate
Strategies and tactics must work in tandem, as without that approach your business cannot efficiently achieve goals. If you have strategy without tactics you have big thinkers and no action. If you have tactics without strategy, you have disorder.
Business people will use the term “strategy” to describe the organization’s topmost goal in its marketplace, whether the organization is a start-up company, a huge multinational firm, a university or an online business. Without a clear strategy it may be next to impossible to create and sustain a business that will meet your goals and expectations over time.
What is your strategy for taking your business to the next level as an online entrepreneur? What are some of the tactics that will get you there in record time?
It’s becoming very clear how hanging onto all the tactics really sucks up time and slow down my progress.
I think this post is spot on and I appreciate your insight. Although I am shifting towards more strategic thinking, I sometimes revert back to tactical thinking/doing. There’s a certain comfort in “finishing” something and having a tangible result (e.g. “Look! I reorganized my filing system!”). What do you tell your clients to keep them focused on strategic thinking? Is there a good system or process for maintaining focus on the most important things?
I found this article useful for myself. The difference between business strategies and tactics are minor yet has major impacts.
Thanks so much for your comment, Abhilasha. Please tell us more about your business.
Connie Ragen Green