Keep Your Strategy Simple and Execute Relentlessly

A note to small business owners.

In 2000-2002, I worked with the late, great John R Caldon looking at private equity investments in the SME space. These companies typically had revenues in the $1m – $10m range.

We looked at an accounting business that had an elaborate 60-page business plan, including an extensive section on strategy.

John flicked through the document and shook his head: “The danger with these guys Adam is that they might start believing their own propaganda. If you’re a small business, your strategy paper shouldn’t be more than 2-pages long. The rest is just rolling-up your sleeves and getting on with it.”

Don’t overdose on strategy. Most businesses fail not because of a lack of strategy, but because of a lack of execution.

Business is an anti-bullshit discipline. Keep your strategy concise, clear, and memorable – and then focus all your energies on relentless execution.