Strategic Planning for New Companies
Creating great company names is just the beginning of what we do at Brandings. We want to see your business succeed well after your launch. It takes targeted strategic planning for small business to position your start-up for success. Just check out some of the recent company names developed by the Brandings naming team:
But behind every great name is a great strategy. Many small business owners think that strategic planning is just for blue-chip companies. They couldn’t be more wrong. When starting a business, entrepreneurs often get so wrapped up in the functional details of their business that they fail to develop a strategic plan for their enterprise.
The central elements of strategic planning that large firms employ are essentially the same for small business. The real difference is the level of organizational complexity and the resources employed. For start-up owners there is good news and bad news.
First the good news … your new venture is likely to be markedly less complex than a multi-national conglomerate. So your strategic plan is going to be much easier to develop and execute.
Now for the bad news … in a large company there are teams of professionals involved in the strategic planning process. Big firms often have extensive staff assistance, professional support and financial resources. With most small businesses, it’s likely just you.
Learning from High Performance Organizations -- Big and Small
When thinking about strategic planning we advise small business professionals to take a page from the big players. It’s important to consider foundational factors and the application for your new business. You should be able to answer the following questions:
What makes my organization great and what factors influence the competitive dynamic of my marketplace?
Why is it that having great high-quality products and competitive prices no longer guarantees competitive advantage? What does my firm need to do to gain and maintain a sustainable advantage?
How did once dominant firms fall from their lofty positions of industry dominance? How can my start-up avoid this path?
What are the characteristics of high-performance organizations -- irrespective of industry -- that enable them to consistently outperform others in their market? How can I apply these principles to my start-up?
What are the warning signals of strategic decline and performance, and can these declines be predicted and avoided?
Sustainable Competitive Advantage for Start-Ups
For a start-up to launch, growth and thrive it is essential that you identify the external environmental shifts that necessitate internal organization modification. Think about what is happening in your business environment and how your firm succeeds in this environment.
Key elements include environmental scanning and fully understanding the impact of external forces on your small business and the implications for your core firm competencies. Competitive advantage for your start-up (the value created by your firm that exceeds your cost of creating it relative to competitors) is not sufficient for long term success.
Our strategic planning consultants suggest you work to build a sustainable competitive advantage. The key elements of long-term sustainable advantage for your start-up are rooted in capabilities that are:
Rare – Only the firm possesses, unique
Unique – Skill based and people intensive, honed tightly to your customer needs
Socially Complex – Dependent on coordinated action, difficult to replicate
The more rare, unique and socially complex your start-up capabilities -- the more sustainable your competitive advantage.
If you would like a step-by-step business plan action plan for developing a business plan for your new venture, check-out this recent article. Strategic Planning for Small Business.
Find a Great Company Name Now
Now searching for a great company domain name has never been easier. There are two easy ways to search for a premium domain name:
1. SEARCH BY CATEGORY. You can find names developed for a particular industry (for example names for a technology start-up) or names that have been developed with key attributes (for example "fresh sounding" names). Take a look at the category navigation list in the left-column. You'll see that most of the categories have a drop down menu with subcategories.
2. NAME SEARCH. You can also find a company name that includes a keyword or partial word important in your business. For best results keep it short. Partial words like "qual," uni," and "tech," provide the best results. Make your entry, then press "GO."
Check Out These New Company Names:
Related Recent Articles & Postings:
The Fundamentals of Corporate Branding In this posting our experts demystify the core elements of corporate brand management. We’ll share the “art and science” of creating and maintaining a great brand. We’ll discuss the importance of aligning your delivery system with an authentic and differentiated brand promise and share a few key tips the successful management of your firm’s brand experience. Read the article...
Should I Use a Naming Architecture Firm? There are major naming architecture firms used by large companies in branding or rebranding the company brand or an organization’s products or services. These enterprises charge substantial fees to aid businesses in creating a suitable company name – and they are usually worth every dollar. The work of successful brand development firms, naming architecture firms and brand consultants is deeply rooted in intensive internal and external research. Our start-up experts discuss the advantages and disadvantages of contacting with a naming architecture firm. Read the article...
Business Name Development In this posting we’ll discuss the underpinnings of business name development . Choosing the wrong business name can derail your start-up from day one. Our naming experts will share the common mistakes that small business owners make and provide you with tips and suggestions for selecting the perfect name for your new venture. Read the article...
Start-Up Resource Center To get your new venture started on the right footing, the Brandings start-up professionals have developed a quick check-list covering all the areas you’ll need to address before you launch your business. Topics include company name selection, trademark screening, legal forms of ownership, visual brand identity, website and collateral material development, license issues, regulation, and small business planning. Read the article...
|
