Strategy and Planning


Recent Strategy and Planning Articles

3 Steps to Keep Growing

Your business is not a start-up anymore. How do you allocate capital and resources to create sustainable growth?  Read more

Know-How is Good. "Know-Who" is Better

In this video, we learn from the grand master of money, Warren Buffett, why networks are just as important as knowledge.  Read more

The Simplistic Brilliance of 'Pawn Stars'

Why do I find a TV show about a Las Vegas pawn brokerage so interesting? Rick Harrison, the store's owner and show's hero, is all the inspiration I need.  Read more

Why You Get Things Wrong (And What You Can Do About It)

A Harvard Business School professor addresses three common start-up dilemmas--and how to make good choices when you face them.  Read more

Meet the Man on a Mission to Teach the World to Code

Hadi Partovi wants to expand computer science education. Here's how he got Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and a few other famous friends to spread the coding g...  Read more

Avoid Getting Stung by the Affordable Care Act

Yes, your health-care-benefits costs are going to go up. But if you play your cards right, you may have more flexibility than you think.  Read more

The Real Reason Andrew Mason Was Fired

When times are good, maybe it's OK to be a fun CEO. But when your company struggles, fun certainly won't suffice.  Read more

When It's Time to Take the Back Seat

An entrepreneur can become an inhibitor to growth for a company passed the start-up phase. It may be time to disengage.  Read more

Judge the ROI of a Trade Show: 4 Steps

Trade shows can either be a sinkhole for your money, or a great way to uncover new customers. Find out fast.  Read more

VCs Bet $1.4 Billion on Big Data in 2012

According to a new report, total investment dollars went down last year, but the number of deals and exits soared.  Read more

Small Business to Uncle Sam: Here's the Help We Need

The so-called "skills gap" has turned hiring into an increasingly tough challenge. But according to a PayScale survey, businesses aren't interested in one of...  Read more

Economic Uncertainty Continues to Hinder Small Business

The SurePayroll survey finds optimism among this normally-optimistic group continues to stall.  Read more

Yahoo Take Notice: 5 Workers Who Can Ruin Your Day

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer is wrong. Telecommuting prevents co-workers from wasting time and energy.  Read more

12 Questions for Gary Vaynerchuk

We challenged Vaynerchuk--co-owner of wine retailer Wine Library, CEO of the social-media strategy firm VaynerMedia, and (he's set on it) future owner of the...  Read more

3 Leadership Lessons From the Pope's Exit

Pope Benedict XVI will abdicate his post late tomorrow night. Scandals aside, what can you learn from the way the church is handling his departure?  Read more

Hey, Yahoo: Proof That Working From Home Works

According to CEO Marissa Mayer, telecommuting costs "speed and quality." But research suggests otherwise.  Read more

Why Warren Buffett Stopped Investing the 'Warren Buffett Way'

The Oracle of Omaha got out of personal investing as fast as he could. Follow this logic and you could become a supreme success too.  Read more

4 Companies to Watch at SXSW 2013

These start-ups could steal the spotlight at Austin's big tech show.  Read more

9 Great Things About the Looming Sequester

What's all the fuss about? Many business owners I know are cheering about federal spending cuts that are scheduled to go into effect Friday.  Read more

3 Ways to Improve Your Odds of a Sale

The way that companies make purchasing decisions has changed. Here are three ways to keep selling even after your buyers have tightened the purse strings.  Read more

Youngstown, Ohio: Mecca of 3D Printing? Not Yet

When President Obama touted a Youngstown, Ohio-based institute as a "state-of-the-art lab where new workers are mastering 3D printing," he spoke too soon. He...  Read more

Daymond John: It's All About Relationships

You don't build a brand like FUBU by begging for favors. Daymond John explains how he found partners who believed in him.  Read more

Pivot As If You Planned It

Shifting business models doesn't have to be a last resort.  Read more

Innovate vs. Imitate? The Biggest Successes Are Imitators

Most rags-to-riches stories are about the excellent execution of a simple idea. Successful people know this. Everyone else is still catching up.  Read more

What Sheryl Sandberg's New Book Means for Women Entrepreneurs

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg wants to start a revolution for women in the workplace. Inc. editor-at-large Leigh Buchanan explores the implications for women ...  Read more

5 Indicators of Future Business Success

Measuring performance by looking at the P&L is like driving by looking in the rearview mirror. Here's a better way to predict performance.  Read more

It's Imitation, Not Innovation, That Leads to Success

The simple execution of a big idea. That's the secret to success, according to the self-made wealthy.  Read more

You Don't Get What You Deserve, You Get What You Negotiate

When it comes to the 'art of the deal,' most of us hope we get what we deserve. The self-made wealthy ask for the most they can get.  Read more

2 Start-up Tax Credits You Should Use (if Possible)

As part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act, two tax credits popular among start-ups were retroactively extended through 2013. Don't miss out.  Read more

Want to Start a Company? Stay as Ignorant as Possible

Forget cramming to learn your new industry inside and out. When you're starting up, ignorance makes you more creative, unique, and effective.  Read more

Turn Failures Into Stepping Stones: 5 Ways

Surely someone's told you to 'embrace failure' before. Here's what that means, actually, and how to do it.  Read more

Why the U.S. Needs a National Sales Tax (Instead of a State-by-State System)

I'm not a fan of federal government. But let's ease the administrative burden of filing in 50 different states, and end the debate over how to tax online sales.  Read more

5 Ways to Create Your Long-Term Vision

It is too easy to lose sight of the long term as you focus on delivering results this week. Here are five steps for turning your vision into action.  Read more

While the Rest of Us Save, the Self-Made Earn More

There's financial security and then there's financial independence. The self-made know the difference.  Read more

Wage Wars: Weighing an Increase to Minimum Wage

The data is mixed, but a minimum wage increase may not be as bad for your business as you think.  Read more