A company, with a three-year timeframe, had no strategic plan that could help the owners translate their vision into reality. They had tried planning before but it had taken too much time; they ended up producing a document of little use that had minimal impact on their business.

The owners were under an immense amount of stress and were worried about their future. They were aware there were things that they should be focusing on but did not know what those things were and they were increasingly anxious about their lack of any solid plan.

It was almost impossible to develop good financial or general management practices around a company that didn’t have a plan and so the company was at a standstill. There was no way to delegate accountability; no long-term view of profitability or business development, and no ability to comprehensively manage the sales force against consistent goals. Staff were frustrated because they were not able to help the owners as much as they could have if they knew what the plans were for the company’s future, they were also worried about their own security so there was a big risk of losing key people.

Using the ESP Program, PACE worked with the company to establish an appropriate, executable plan. Key staff members were engaged in the process, which allowed them the chance to improve the plan by adding their own experience to it and they were better able to understand the company’s goals. As staff became attached to the plan, they began to accept responsibility for helping achieve it, and so became more comfortable with their future at the company.

As the owners developed the ability to delegate responsibility, they began to accomplish more and their stress levels lowered considerably. A plan document was created that communicated the company’s goals to all of the key constituents (customers, bankers, vendors, staff, new employees etc) and the owners were able to focus more on the passion that first caused them to launch the business. As a result of this renewed focus, the owners were excited about their company once again and were able to grow safely and without stress. Employees were empowered and enthusiastic and profitability was increased with 65% growth over 36 months.