Strategic Planning Consultant for Small Business Owners
A strategic planning consultant turns a big, blurry goal into a plan with numbers, dates and a next step. At RSC Business Group in San Ramon, California, Robert S. Chun and our team build that plan with you, then stay beside you while you work it. We call the result a Roadmap to Freedom: a business that serves you.
Why Hard-Working Owners Still Get Stuck
You wear every hat. You answer every call, put out every fire and cover every gap. Busy starts to feel like progress, and the business still stalls.
Working harder does produce more, for a while. Then it stops being fun. Our article on business planning puts it plainly: "Flying by the seat of your pants without a plan is exciting, and you can achieve great things, but you are getting lucky."
The rules change as you grow. The skills that get you to six figures differ from the skills you need for seven, and managing 3 people takes a different strategy than managing 30.
What a Strategic Planning Consultant Does
Strategic planning for small business starts with two questions. Where does your business stand today? Where do you want it a year from now? We build the pathway between the two with you, not for you, as your business strategy consultant and your accountability partner. A plan only works when it's yours.
We believe nothing in your business is broken, only out of alignment, and a plan puts it back in order. Performance optimization follows: the plan shows your bottlenecks, and we make the high-impact changes that clear them. Our business coaching keeps the plan moving.
We work with owners across San Ramon, the Tri-Valley and the East Bay, in person or remotely. See business consulting in San Ramon.
What Your Strategic Plan Covers
Where You Stand Today
- The current conditions of your operations
- Your goals and your vision, made clear
- The structure and operating principles you're missing
- A SWOT: your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
How You Get There
- Specific, measurable goals, each with a deadline
- More than one pathway to every goal, so a blocked road doesn't end the trip
- Three layers of future design: big-picture, the next stage of growth and ground-level focus
- Milestones along the way, so you see early when you're off course
- One calendar that holds all of it
Your plan plugs into the 5 Systems every scalable business needs; the fifth, the Strategic Rhythm, is planning itself. To systematize your operations in a group, see RSC Business Builder™ on the flagship programs page.
How the Strategic Planning Process Works
Start With an Honest Assessment
We meet for two hours or more, in person or remotely, and the first assessment is free. We cover your operations, goals, missing structure and SWOT. The more honest you are, the more we can help.
Set Goals With Numbers and Dates
A goal needs a number and a deadline before it can guide anything. We turn your vision into measurable targets and a clear 12-month picture.
Lay Out More Than One Pathway
Here's our airport analogy. With a thirty-minute drive and two hours at security, leaving two and a half hours early works until the first traffic jam. Leave an hour earlier and know a second route. And your plan needs the same buffer.
Put It on One Calendar
A plan that lives in your head doesn't get done. We coach scheduling too: one calendar, every to-do in a time slot, 15 minutes between appointments, and yes, your meals, sleep and family time. Your business and your life aren't separate, so your calendar isn't either.
Track Milestones With a Partner
We set milestones you can check, then follow up and check in as you work. If you drift off course or run behind, you see it early and correct it early.
What Changes for the Owner
Having a plan doesn't guarantee a result. But it gives you a chance, and a much better one than winning the lottery. Here's what we aim for:
- You work less and produce more.
- Others take over your repetitive jobs, and you concentrate on what matters to you.
- You build consistent revenue pathways, so income stops depending on hope.
- You see trouble early, because milestones tell you when you're off course.
- You get time back for family, friends and plain old fun.
Planning With Robert S. Chun
Robert has coached small business owners since the late '80s, long before there was a business coaching industry. His futurist's view and his Eastern and Western philosophy backgrounds let us deal with human factors that traditional coaching rarely addresses.
Our team includes Gregory Doomanis, MBA, who has designed and implemented financial and operational strategies for RSC clients since 2003.
Read more owner stories on the case studies page, or meet the full team on About Us.
"Robert helped give me a birds eye view on my business and look at which opportunities to move forward with one at a time. We worked on building a structure for my business and then expanding one by one instead of me trying to do everything all at once!"
Jessica Garcia
Business Owner
A Plan Built for Your Stage
Business growth has five stages on the RSC service levels page, and your plan changes at each one. Find yours:
- Future Start-Ups: an idea or side-hustle that needs a clear path.
- Start-Ups: professionals and salespeople building a foundation.
- Small and Medium Business: past start-up chaos and facing a new wall.
- Executives: a mature culture and more complex challenges.
- True Business Owners: a company that runs without you.
Read How We Think About Planning
Start here, or browse the whole blog.
- Do You Plan or Do You Gamble With Your Business?
- Planning and Scheduling in Business
- The Power of Scheduling
- Lead With the Power of a Vision
- Building Pathways for Consistent Business Revenue
- The Game of Business
Let's Build Your Roadmap to Freedom
Book a free strategy session. We'll look at where your business stands today, find your biggest bottlenecks and map a clear path to your 12-month vision. No sales pitch.
Prefer to talk first? Call 310.709.5188.
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Tell us a little about your business and we'll set up your strategy session. RSC Business Group is based in San Ramon, California.
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Strategic Planning Questions, Answered
What does a strategic planning consultant do?
A strategic planning consultant helps you see where your business stands, decide where it's headed and build the pathway between the two. At RSC we do it with you, with an accountability partner at your side.
What goes into a one-page strategic plan?
The essentials fit on one page: where the business stands today, your vision, goals with numbers and deadlines, more than one pathway to each goal and the milestones that show you're on track.
How often should I revisit my strategic plan?
Review it at every milestone. Milestones show early whether you're on course or running behind, so you correct while the fix is small. When your 12-month vision is done, set the next one.
What is the difference between strategic planning and a business plan?
A business plan describes the business: who it serves and what the market will pay. Strategic planning decides where it goes next, with the goals, pathways and milestones to get there. Looking for a business plan consultant? Start with the strategic plan.
How long does strategic planning take?
It depends on your business and how much is already written down. The first assessment runs two hours or more, then we build the plan in manageable chunks. Most RSC core programs last 6 to 12 months.
How much does a strategic planning consultant cost?
RSC doesn't offer a one-size-fits-all package, so the work is tailored to your business and stage. We start with a free strategy session, and the first assessment carries no charge. Its only cost is your time and energy.