July 20, 2009 – Everyone has heard the ancient proverb – the longest journey begins with a single step.  But not everyone thinks about the last step, first.  Corporate planning retreats and annual strategic plans have become standard tools of modern management.  I once interned at Abbott Laboratories where – in the days before laptops and Excel – the annual strategic planning process took 9 months of the year.  Just one fiscal quarter after the corporate plan was put to bed, the whole process started over again.  There seemed to be little time to actually “do” because we were always “in plan,” and the plan morphed constantly as new sales data was rolled into the ever changing (and hand calculated) spreadsheets.

 

Today everybody plans.  Business plans are written quickly and efficiently, financial projections include multiple scenarios, and individuals have “personal boards of advisors” and mentors who help them plan their Sunday afternoons.  But, where are we all going?

 

Begin your plan with the end in mind.  Where are you going – you, the entrepreneur or executive?  Where are you taking your company?  Is there an exit strategy?  (And not every company needs an exit; a lifestyle business is a fine living.  And great legacy to leave your kids.)  Is there a purpose to your growth?  If you are selling the same thing over and over as a government contractor, how and when will it end?  (And yes, as every cavalry supplier found after WWI, all good contracts come to an end.)

 
In one of my previous ventures, I printed this simple philosophy on the back of my business card:  Begin at the End.

In coming weeks and months we will talk about ends, and how to get there.  At J Street, our job is to help our clients plan their strategic direction, using the best tools and most experienced market consultants we can find.  But first it helps to know where our clients would like to go.

 

Jim Wolfe

J Street Consulting

CEO & Founding Partner