The Empire Builder's Playbook

Revolutionize Your Business Strategy
August 19, 2024 by
The Empire Builder's Playbook
Micro Mutiny Inc., Tera Warner


Running a business without a strategic plan is like operating a body without a spine—it's awkward and completely dysfunctional. Our goal is to make the practical wisdom of strategic planning accessible to the over-worked executive. 

Every to-do list is endless, and "too busy" isn't a unique excuse. If you're responsible for leading a team, you need to map out a strategic plan. Then you're going to need to find a way to communicate that plan to a team who feels inspired to carry it out alongside you.

In this article, we've distilled the strategic Mongolian insights of Genghis Khan and the ethical genius of a business like Tom's shoes, to create a practical approach that helps businesses quickly craft their strategic plan. This "secret sauce" cuts through overthinking, so you can rise above the noise and get the job done. After all, any plan beats no plan at all.



The future will be built by those who have the courage to create it.



Part A: Get Out of Your Head and Look

Genghis Khan didn't get things done by worrying about what people thought. The first step to getting a strategic plan done, and ready for takeoff is to formulate a method that aggressively interrupts overthinking. (We got that covered for you 😉). Don't worry about whether you're doing it "right", just worry about getting it done. 

Before mapping out your great ideas, we need to clear away the mental clutter that risks interrupting it. The media is flooded with bad news that can cloud your vision, and you'll have a much easier time crafting a strategic picture if you ignore that noise when you're starting out.

The future will be built by those who have the courage to create it. By completing your strategic planning, you can become one of those people.



"Nothing begins good, but everything good begins."

Kevin Ashton, How to Fly a Horse



STEP ONE: Understand Before You Expand

Let's begin by answering some key questions designed to give you a clear view of how your business fits into your industry. Imagine you're  young Temujin, ready to consolidate power within the Mongolian steppes,  gathering intelligence on your enemies, forming alliances, and organizing your military strategy. What must you know before you strap on your boots and begin moving your troops across the horizon?

💡SMART TIP💡

A leader in historical armor standing over a detailed map, preparing for battle with an army in the distance, symbolizing the importance of strategic foresight and planning in both military and business contexts.

Open up a new Word or Google document and copy and paste the questions to come. Leave the core questions, but erase the italicized comments which are there to guide you in getting answers out. Remember to keep all your answers, and the data you collect in a working document. We'll use it to map our your strategic plan!

  • What is the industry I am trying to expand my business into? (Be specific! You'll get better information for building your strategy if you really look at the particularities of the scene you're wanting to expand into.)

  • Tap into the pulse of the people currently making waves in your industry and try to find out what's happening by considering the following:
    • Who are the leaders and why are they leading the field?
    • What are the key conversations and who is holding the mic?
    • Where are these conversations happening?
    • What current trends would give us an insight into what's taking people's attention in this area? Google Trends is a really fun place to go and find some cool things out. 

⚡ MAKE IT HAPPEN FAST⚡

Use this AI prompt to get the answers quickly. Tailor the prompt to your specific industry and location, then let AI do the dirty work. Just remember, AI can’t breathe passion or sincerity into your business—that’s your job. 

Once you have the information, review it through the lens of your vision. Gather your insights, find your starting point, and prepare to move forward. 

Sometimes it’s hard to smell your own perfume when you’ve been sitting in it for too long. So, consider these next questions as objectively as possible. Position yourself as an outsider, looking in. (Copy and paste your responses to these questions in the working document you've created.)

  1. How would an outsider looking at your company evaluate your position in the market place? 

  2. Have you identified your core values and mission? If so, what are they? If not, state them as clearly as you can for now.

  3. How would an outsider relate to that mission and why?

  4. What would stand out to others as your biggest challenge? 

  5. What would stand out to others as your biggest opportunity?



In today's information age, your biggest enemies are ignorance and laziness.


STEP TWO: S.W.O.T. to Find Your Sweet Spot

Analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats (S.W.O.T.) of your business so you know exactly where you stand. 

Securing your strategy ensures that your ideas have the best chance of seeing the light of day.

In today’s information age, your biggest enemies are ignorance and laziness. To be a strategic genius, you have to know your competition and predict the future you’re expanding into. Let’s move in for the kill before either of those villains comes to get you!

A vibrant visual of a SWOT analysis with symbolic representations of strengths as a tree, weaknesses as dry ground, threats as a storm, and opportunities as an open door to light.

Self-Assessment Questionnaire

Before diving into a competitive analysis, take a moment to evaluate your business internally. To help you clearly organize the information we'll need to do a deep dive into your market and help to identify the sweet spot for your success in that arena. Take a few moments to review and respond to the questions in this Business Self-Assessment. 

It's important not to overthink things. If you stop once you get started, you might not come back and get it done. Just dive in, do the dirty work. I promise we will get you to the finish line and make this easy for you, but you have to roll up your sleeves and do your part. (Remember to write up your answers in your working document. It's all unfolding for an exciting finish, keep going!


Competitive Analysis Crackdown

With the insights from your Business Self-Assessment in hand, you’re ready to perform a competitive analysis that will position your business strategically in the market. Use this information to compare yourself against your competitors, understand your position in the industry, and identify the moves that will give you the upper hand.  Now, let’s take things a step further. 


⚡ MAKE IT HAPPEN FAST⚡

Using the answers you’ve generated in the previous section, we can let AI handle some of the heavy lifting. Check out this Competitive Analysis AI Power Prompt. By combining your business self-assessment results with this powerful AI prompt, you’ll gain a comprehensive view of where your business stands in the industry.  Load up the results of your business assessment and the power prompt into the AI tool of your choice and VOILA! You should have a very powerful competitive review of your business smiling back at you! (I probably don't have to tell you by now to paste the responses of this research into your working document.)

STEP THREE: Number Crunch for the Final Punch

The most brilliant ideas can flop without solid financial planning. But here's the thing—strategic planning isn't just crunching numbers on a balance sheet. It's about weaving together all the insights you've gathered, ensuring your strategy is visionary while being firmly grounded in the realities of your industry and market.

This is where everything comes together. Your strategic plan needs to be more than just a creative vision; it needs to be actionable, practical, and supported by the hard data that will drive your success in the real world. People need to see it to believe they can be it.

"A businessman juggling various financial symbols, coins, and data points, representing the complexity and dynamic nature of financial planning and forecasting.

If you haven’t started financial forecasting, don’t worry—you can hijack this Quick Fix Financial Planning Trick. It's going to add a few more minutes to your strategic planning process, but given full staff members are hired to research and build strategic plans over months, what are a few more minutes to crunch your numbers? I promise it will be worth it when it comes time to delivering an actionable strategy that inspires results!

If you’ve already got your numbers ready, let's move forward and bring this planning session home for a solid win. Copy and paste these questions into your working document. Once you've read the italicized suggestions, delete them and write in your responses. (For the best results, you'll want to attach and include your financial statements with your strategic planning working document at the end of this process.) 

  1. What does our financial data really tell us about our business's health and future potential? Analyze your financial statements, cash flow, and profitability. Are you financially stable? Where are the opportunities for improvement?

  2. How do current market trends align with our strategic objectives? Refer back to the industry research generated by the AI prompt. What are the emerging trends, growth areas, and potential shifts in your industry? How do these trends influence your financial projections and strategic decisions?

  3. Where do we stand in comparison to our competitors? Review the competitor analysis data. What are your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses? How do their strategies compare to yours, and what can you learn from their successes or failures? Use this data to refine your strategic positioning.

  4. Are we utilizing our internal resources effectively to achieve our strategic goals? Assess the allocation of your internal resources, including personnel, technology, and intellectual property. Are they aligned with the strategic objectives you’ve set? Are there underutilized resources that could be leveraged more effectively?

  5. How do broader economic trends affect our strategic plan? Examine the macroeconomic factors (e.g., inflation, interest rates, consumer confidence) that could impact your industry. How resilient is your strategic plan to economic fluctuations?

  6. Have we accounted for any location-specific factors that might impact our plan? Consider the local regulations, cultural factors, or market conditions that could affect your strategy. This is important if you’re planning to expand into new regions or markets.

  7. Have we considered scalable opportunities for income and costs? Use all the data gathered—financials, market trends, competitor analysis—to create financial projections that are realistic and account for potential growth. Make sure your projections include buffers for unexpected challenges.

  8. Have we ensured enough buffers to provide the wherewithal our company needs to thrive and support team members into the future? Plan for contingencies. Consider scenarios where things don’t go as planned and ensure you have the financial and operational flexibility to adapt.

Part B: Ready, Aim, Roll

You've done the hard work—understanding the landscape, assessing the competition, and strategizing your resources. Now, it's time to align all this research to your purpose, goals, and map out specific actions to take your strategy from planning to execution.

We're trying to treat this like a game! No worrying or overthinking allowed. We want to let the speed of our willingness to act vaporize ruminating and seriousness, and put an energetic spirit of play in their place. When this strategic plan is done, it will be like your game board. You'll come back to it regularly with your team to see where you're at and determine the next most important steps to move forward.

But before we roll the dice, we need to put all these strategic pieces together. We've crunched numbers, investigated industry statistics and completed a competitive review. Now, it's time to bring a little fire to the table before we finish this process off. To ensure your strategy is deeply aligned with your vision, that it is aimed with the clarity of your intentions, these next questions require the leader, the idea-generator, the passion, purpose and personality behind the business to spit a few more exciting pieces out!


Will Purpose, Passion & Personality Please Stand Up?

  1. What bold goals can we set that will challenge us, and  position us ahead of our competitors? Think big! What’s the one move that could set you apart in the market?

  2. If we could achieve one transformative outcome in the next year, what would it be? How does this align with our long-term vision? Focus on what will have the most significant impact and align with where you see your business in the future.

  3. How can we ensure that our strategic initiatives are ambitious yet attainable? What’s realistic given your current resources, but also pushes you out of your comfort zone?

  4. What past issues have been holding us back, and how can we address them to remove any obstacles for future success? Are there recurring challenges that, if solved, could unlock new potential? Reflect on the challenges that have hindered your progress in the past and identify actionable steps to overcome them.

  5. How can we turn past weaknesses into opportunities for growth? What lessons can we learn from our history to strengthen our foundation moving forward? Consider how your past experiences, even the setbacks, can be leveraged to fuel future success.

  6. What core activities do we need to solidify now to support our future ambitions? How can we optimize our current operations to ensure they are robust and scalable? Focus on what needs to be strengthened today to support tomorrow’s growth.

  7. Are there areas where we can immediately improve efficiency or effectiveness? What quick wins can we implement that will have a lasting impact on our stability? Identify low-hanging fruit that can quickly boost your organization’s performance.

  8. How can we remain agile and adapt to unforeseen challenges while maintaining our growth trajectory? Think about how you’ll stay flexible and ready to pivot if needed.

  9. What opportunities for expansion and innovation should we prioritize, and what resources will be critical to achieving these goals? How can we ensure our plans are both ambitious and attainable? Prioritize your expansion goals and assess what’s needed to achieve them.

  10. What milestones should we set to track our progress toward long-term success? How will we measure the impact of our actions on the business and adapt our strategies as needed? Establish clear checkpoints to monitor your journey towards success and ensure you’re on the right path.

  11. What creative strategies can we use to rapidly expand our client base? Consider innovative approaches that might set you apart from the competition.

Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ve laid the emotional and visionary foundation for your strategic plan. Be sure to copy your responses and the questions themselves into your working document. 

Now, let’s make sure it’s all actionable, organized and ready for take-off.

Part C: Genghis, Eat My Dust: A Strategic Plan is Born

We've come this far, and now it's time to pull it all together for a glorious, empire-building finish. Imagine a strategic plan so powerful it would make the Mongols quiver in their overtightened boots. Who needs towering pyramids of gory skulls when you have the lightning speed of technology, the passion of the human spirit, and the strategic genius of the ages converging to make magic happen?

⚡ MAKE IT HAPPEN FAST ⚡

Let AI take your hard work to the finish line. If you've put in the effort to get to this point, we can help you finalize it. The truth is, we've created two incredibly powerful AI prompts designed to take all the information you've gathered and transform it into a strategic plan that will propel your business forward. Fast and feverishly. Mongol style.

Each prompt will provide a structured, three-phase approach to bringing your vision into action. It will be organized clearly across an organizational structure that works, and with targeted and specific outcomes that motivate you to rise up and conquer (no psychological warfare required)! We have a version for new businesses just getting started, and another version for already-established businesses that are well underway, but needing a reboot.

There’s just a small catch. 

If we were to reveal that prompt here, we’d be giving away our secret sauce—and then, well, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. So, here’s what we suggest instead:

Reach out and get in touch with one of our business consultants. If you’ve got everything ready, it’ll only take a minute. (You've got that working document loaded up and ready for delivery, right?) 

We’ll take the work you’ve done so far pop it into our Secret Sauce Strategic Planning prompt, and VOILA! You’ll have an instant, multi-year, ridiculously inspiring tool perfectly sculpted to suit your market, reach your goals and lead your team toward a promising future. It won’t cost you a penny. We just need you to pass along the results you’ve generated from the steps above, and we’ll return a gorgeous new action plan, tailored to guide your team forward.

We've spent 16 years developing this secret sauce, so we hope you'll understand why we need to finish off the last step ourselves. We understand you might feel a bit let down after all the work you’ve done, to realize you can't make it to the finish line without a little push from our team, but look at it this way—won’t it be nice to catch up with a real person and talk about all the progress you’ve made? Reach out, and let’s chat.

Since we’ve got two different strategic prompts: one for new businesses and one for established businesses, you'll just have to let us know which one you need, so we can gear your plan to align perfectly with where you're at!

The Power of Strategic Genius

Strategic planning isn’t just about setting targets; it’s about seeing beyond them. It’s about leveraging the wisdom of the past, the realities of the present, and envisioning the possibilities for the future. It takes all these factors into account and then inspires a group to rise above obstacles and make things happen.

We believe that every great strategy starts with a clear vision, but let’s be honest—it all comes together a lot faster with AI doing the heavy lifting! When your business is guided by a plan that’s as dynamic and adaptable as the world we live in, and can pivot in the face of change just as quickly, you'll have The Great Khan rolling with laughter in his dusty Mongolian grave. Genghis knew that staying sharp, adaptable, and always one step ahead was the key to his enduring success. Imagine what he’d think of you conquering a strategic plan at lightning speed the way you just did! 

Whether you’re drawing on ancient wisdom or keeping pace with today’s rapid changes, the real genius of strategy lies in never becoming too comfortable—because as soon as you do, the world changes.

And only those who adapt will thrive.