Last month, we talked about the first step in growing your business: identifying both your strengths and your opportunities. This month, we'll move on to the next step:

Step 2. Create a game plan that builds on those strengths and takes advantage of those opportunities.

Now that you know what elements of your business work for you and what objections your prospects may have about working with a small company, it's time to develop a profile of your company. Here's where we figure out if you're playing Monopoly, chess, or LIFE.

Monopoly
If you're bent on acquiring more, charging more and growing to be the biggest, baddest kid in the neighborhood, you're probably a Monopoly maven. You move nimbly to find opportunities to expand in your industry (either vertically or horizontally) and seek to dominate your competition. You don't mind adding management when it's needed, but tend to work best with management who can handle an ever-changing landscape and rapid growth. You focus on building a strong team that is along for the ride, and tend to reward them handsomely for loyal service.

Starting with a relatively small staff may seem like a disadvantage, but you quickly recognize that the team you've cherry-picked works hard enough to compensate for that shortage. And because your game plan is to acquire services to broaden your offerings, you tend to have an eye out for vendor partners who may be eligible for a takeover when the time is right. Your goal is to become broad enough and/or deep enough to be recession-proof so that your clients can rely on you for years to come.

Chess
If you move deliberately and methodically in executing your strategies, you're probably a chess connoisseur. Your goal is not necessarily to be the biggest in your field, but rather to be the smartest. You think carefully before making any move, and when you do execute, it's sure and fast. You seek like-minded partners who add strategic value to your business and can help you build a reputation for having brainpower in your industry. You want to be regarded as experts in your world, and you know that clients will be willing to pay more to work with your stellar team.

When it comes to making your next move, you carefully judge what players to add to your team. Rather than hiring on a whim, you assess not just what work needs to be done for the present, but also how a particular hire could help you move forward to achieve your longer-term goals. You are also careful to evaluate potential vendor partners; because you value your reputation in the market, you want to ensure that your recommendations reflect well on you. In terms of longevity, you believe that your experience, intelligence and consultative input guarantee that you'll be around for a long time.

LIFE
If your business goal focuses more on the journey than on the destination, you're probably a LIFEr. You pay careful attention to the warning signs that go up in your industry, and work hard to adapt to changing conditions as needed. You tend to grow your staff organically, adding services as needed to meet your clients' demands so you don't generally have an abundance of fluff in your company. You feel a personal connection with those you work with, which keeps you motivated to continue moving forward on your business journey.

To stay ahead of the curve, you are likely to have a staff that
can wear a lot of hats so you can own many services in-house without relying on outside vendors. To supplement services you don't provide, you carefully assemble a key group of third-party vendors that you trust to deliver for your clients the way you
would. And you're in this for the long haul: you believe it's more important to stay in the game for a lifetime and keep your team happy and employed than to become the Walmart of your field.

Do you recognize yourself in any of these descriptions? Or are
you a hybrid of them? I'd love to hear your thoughts...email me at adam@gladworks.com.

Next month, we'll address the final step in growing your business and look at how you can execute and evolve your game plan.

Here’s a question confronting our latest crop of graduates: is the value of education worth its cost? It depends on who you ask.

With a four-year degree at a private college averaging $100,000 many college students graduate with thousands of dollars in debt, and often no job in sight. College loans and credit cards are making it easier to look past the expensive costs of tuition, books, and room and board, and the costs pile up quickly.

So is college worth the cost?

Most economic reports say yes. Throughout a working career, having a college degree can yield up to $1 million dollars more in pay than a high school diploma. Average income for a college graduate is $56,788 per year versus the average income for a high school graduate at $31,071.

In fact, obtaining any kind of degree after high school increases your paycheck substantially. Graduates from top trade school DeVry University have reported a 70% success rate in landing a job, and many secure jobs with salaries near $50,000.

Statistics aside, the true value of secondary education goes beyond pop quizzes and final exams. College helps develop students’ professional communication skills and teaches them to solve more of life’s problems. In college, some of the most important learning happens outside the classroom through activities, campus organizations and clubs. And a college internship is a great way to test-drive a future career.

Regardless of what you study, remember that, although money doesn’t bring happiness, it can help pave the road.

If we ever thought there was one way to campaign for the presidency, the 2008 primary season has changed that opinion forever.

Gone are the days of stumping, baby-kissing and whistle stops. Welcome to the virtual world of in-your-face, on-your-airwaves, everywhere-you-look politicking.

In the past, candidates have employed image makers who managed, guided and refined their guy to make sure he looked and sounded presidential (i.e., electable). More than ever, this year’s candidates have embraced the value of marketing themselves to the American people, and they have hired professionals to help them.

Take a look at the websites for Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama. These candidates’ marketing teams have a keen sense of the value of branding and of what it takes to sell a product.

• McCain, Clinton and Obama all have iconic logos.
• All three have blogs and online stores to sell their own branded gear.
• Each candidate’s site offers a variety of video clips and commercials designed to promote themselves and feature their brand in the best possible light.

The 2008 race is historic for a number of reasons…

Barack Obama is the nation’s first African American who stands a real chance of reaching the White House. While some claim that his lack of executive experience makes him less qualified for the post, his marketing team has designed his brand to appeal to a Generation Y who have been notably apathetic about their parents’ politics and who are far from jaded. This target market is tech-savvy, energetic and assertive, and the Obama team has galvanized them in a way that is enviable.

John McCain has been seen as the solid, tried-and-true option for America, and the challenge to his marketing team is to make him more hip and accessible to those who have not fared as well under previous Republican leadership. His marketers have developed a male-friendly brand characterized by the team of McCain Aces (donors) which helps them feel a sense of connection to this member of the generation of senior cohorts.

Hillary Clinton is the country’s first woman who could actually be elected President of the United States. Her branding team has struggled with making Clinton’s image softer and more human, and their choice to feature relevant issue-laden headlines (e.g., “Providing Affordable and Accessible Health Care” and “Supporting Parents and Caring for Children”) and stylish, female-friendly gear connect her brand to a primary target market (women) through an intensely personal connection.

Rather than just using their websites to collect donations and feature news releases, this year’s crop of candidates have created ways to—in very real terms—sell themselves to the American voters.

The only question that remains is, what will we buy in November?

You’ll notice that we’ve deliberately refrained from posting a “best of” list for 2007. And for good reason.

We believe in using the past as a learning tool, but it doesn’t pay to get too overwhelmed or to drift into morbid reflection. Because today—as every day—we’re moving forward…ever forward.

What do we look forward to in 2008?

• More online video. It’s impossible to escape the pervasiveness of online video as a marketing tool. Whether it’s a flash presentation on your website, a training module broadcast around the globe or the latest “Will It Blend” segment on Youtube, we are all hooked on video content. And with the prevalence of mobile video streaming, it’s likely that this trend will continue growing.
• Green is in…for good. It’s no longer only the granola hippies who recycle and compost. Going green is now mainstream, embraced by Nokia, Toyota and Frito Lay …and this movement shows no sign of slowing down. (Can you hear the planet’s collective sigh?)
• Video games: no longer just for those with thumb dexterity. Thanks to galactic leaps forward in technology, games that create an interface between onscreen action and live motion are all the rage. Think wii, Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Even the “regular” at-home console games are well beyond their Atari beginnings. (Have you seen PS3?)

Long story short: 2007 is over. 2008 is just beginning. And from here, it looks like it’ll be one to remember. (At least until next year…)