We provide owners of new and existing businesses with the tools they need to fully understand and effectively manage the fundamental, critical issues that will determine the fate of their business.

Our essential role is one of facilitation, mentorship and coaching.

We work with our clients through a cycle of understanding basic issues, using that understanding to develop a blueprint for their businesses and then monitoring performance.

Our Products and Services are Delivered by Four Main Services

A textbook definition of marketing is “A system of organisational activities designed to plan, price, promote and distribute something of value (a product or service) for the benefit of existing and potential customers”. 

While not detracting from the science of marketing, the business PLAN believes that there are specific approaches that need to be adopted by small businesses to complement, and in certain cases replace, the more traditional (textbook) approach to marketing. Grassroots Marketing is connecting with customers and prospects. It relates to everything you do to operate your business.

Through guiding clients in the process of developing a marketing strategy and action plan, the traditional “Four P’s” of marketing (Product, Price, Promotion, Place) are analysed from the unique perspective of small businesses. In addition to the traditional Four P’s of marketing, the business PLAN’s clients are introduced to the Seven P’s of Grassroots Marketing (Passion, Position, Proposition, People, Prospect list, Plan, Perseverance). 

In other words; Grassroots Marketing is about marketing that is unconventional, non- traditional, not by-the-book, and extremely flexible.

Several factors differentiate Grassroots Marketing from traditional marketing, as follows:

The real benefits of investing time and money in a Business Plan come with the realisation that planning should be a cycle, not an event.

Because it is impossible to predict the future, any plan is based on a set of assumptions about the future. For a business plan to be the powerful decision-making tool for managing a business that it can be, it is imperative that the assumptions on which it is based are given explicit recognition. Then on an ongoing basis, it is necessary to compare those assumptions with the reality as it unfolds, and make appropriate adjustments to the plan as and where required.

The essence of the business PLAN‘s Mentorship Service is one of “Prevention, not cure”. It goes about finding and rectifying those issues that are likely to cause difficulty before they become real problems. It ensures that the owner of the business is truly focussed on the key issues facing the business at that time.

The Mentorship Service can only work as a part of an overall discipline that reflects a commitment to professionalism on the part of the business owner in managing the finances of the business timeously and rigorously. It is the last of four steps, depicted in the diagram. It takes place monthly, ensuring that insights are gained and acted upon before problems arise. As the diagram implies, it is part of a cycle, where changing circumstances and deeper insights into the business will lead to changes being made to the projections.

the business PLAN TRAINING DIVISION was formed to provide practical and dynamic training programmes to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge and insights needed to successfully manage their small and medium sized businesses. Our programmes are experiential, designed to give delegates practical experience of the real issues of business management.

Our most popular programme is Financial Dynamics for Entrepreneurs, a one-day programme designed to provide delegates with specific insights into the true financial drivers that they need to run and support their businesses successfully.

This programme has three aspects, designed to ensure optimum learning and practicality in the context of delegates’ own businesses.

The first aspect comprises the presentation of the concepts, using experiential techniques and examples. This section is based on the business PLAN‘s Financial Planning Diamond. The Financial Planning Diamond provides the foundation for a practical understanding of the Financial Planning and Control Building Blocks. These comprise the tools that one needs to take control of the financial dynamics of a small or medium business.

Secondly, delegates apply the concepts in a simulation, called the business GAME. Duringthis game delegates are faced with realistic circumstances that can and do cause difficulty in a simulated, fun and non-threatening environment. A management worksheet pack is used throughout the game in order to plan and maintain tight control over each delegate’s business.

Thirdly, opportunities to apply the concepts learned to the delegates’ own businesses are included. Worksheets are provided for this, enabling delegates to seamlessly continue the process for themselves in their businesses after the programme.

A number of Seminars are also available. These are typically presented “inhouse” for events such as Franchise Meetings. The objective is to provide usable tools and techniques for specific activities in managing a business. While topics are frequently added, they currently include

• An overview of Grassroots Marketing
• Grassroots Marketing in Practice
• Promoting your business – An Overview of Grassroots Promotion
• Grassroots Promotion – Media exposure at zero cost
• Grassroots Promotion – Secrets for Direct Mail Success
• Grassroots Promotion – Building Your Business on Personal Relationships