Since the mid-1900s, large corporations have been using scenarios, strategic planning, and long term action plans to prepare for their futures. Large businesses pioneered the methods of foresight for their own use, and those methods have worked very well for them.
But… small business is different. The methods for planning for the future didn’t fit small business.
Small Business Foresight is designed for small businesses. Written by a professional futurist with over 50 years’ experience in small business, the tools and methods described and detailed in this book work. They are designed specifically for small business.
Whether your business consists of just you, or includes dozens or even hundreds employees, these methods work! In this book, you will learn about the stages of business growth, the forces of change that impact your business, trends that guide the forces, the importance of scenarios (stories about the future and how to write them), the value of strategic thinking and planning, how to create a long term plan for your business based on the strategies you develop, and more. Much more.
Read the book and build a plan for your business in the workbook.
Small Business Foresight: The Future of Your Business| Verne Wheelwright (Author)| Paper Fibers International
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1. Small Business and the Future Section One Look at your business and where it is now
Chapter 2. Stages of Business Development— A Guide to the Future
Chapter 3. Stakeholders in Your Business
Chapter 4. Trends and Forces: Anticipating Change
Chapter 5. Forces in Your Business: Past, Present, and Future
Chapter 6. Forces That Shape Your Worlds: Global, National, and Local
Chapter 7. Events That Will Change Your Business
Chapter 8. The Two-Axis Matrix
Chapter 9. Your Business: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Section Two Explore potential futures with scenarios
Chapter 10. Scenarios: How Futurists Explore Alternative Futures
Chapter 11. Building Your Basic Scenario
Chapter 12. Driving Forces Will Change the Direction of Your Scenarios
Chapter 13. Telling Stories about the Future of Your Business Section Three Create a strategic plan for the future—the future you want for your business
Chapter 14. Strategic Planning for a Small Business
Chapter 15. A Vision of the Future for Your Business
Chapter 16. Strategies to Achieve Your Vision
Chapter 17. Creating an Action Plan
Chapter 18. Analyzing Your Plan
Chapter 19. Wild Cards and Contingency Plans
Chapter 20. Living with Your Plan
Chapter 21. The Long-Term Perspective Figures
References
LINK FOR THE BOOK