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Inspire Business Growth With These 3 Actionable Strategy Tools

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After a strong start in your business, are you seeing signs of stalling? Or have you perhaps found a business strategy that works, but now you’re wanting to accelerate growth?

If your answers to these questions are yes, then this article could help you. Every business wants to grow — for scale-ups it’s even in the name. In order to grow you need to evaluate and create an actionable strategic plan. 

This article outlines 3 actionable strategy tools that you can use today to inspire growth within your business. All you need is a laptop- not even that – just a pen and paper and some time to put your ideas together. 

Tool 1: Crisis Strategy Assessment

Nothing gets in the way of business growth like a crisis. This is because your instinct is to firefight; to keep the damage to a minimum. The Crisis Strategy Assessment (CSA) allows you to take a breath and assess the situation while looking for opportunities for growth.

This first tool is particularly prevalent to current times but it can be used to inspire growth within your business at any time. This tool helps you take stock of the situation your business is in and evaluate in order for you to strategise. 

A crisis can be anything from a global pandemic to a sudden staff shortage, and everything in between. For whatever crisis your business faces, the Crisis Strategy Assessment tool still applies. 

What this tool does is break down the crisis into manageable sections from which you can begin to maneuver your business out of the situation. It does this by asking you a series of questions: 

  • What will the crisis change in the world and your industry?
  • How will the crisis affect your revenue streams?
  • How will the crisis change your value proposition?
  • How will the crisis affect your customer segments and relationships?
  • How will the crisis alter distribution channels and partners?
  • How are your resource needs going to change because of the crisis?
  • How is your cost structure going to be affected by the crisis? 

By answering these questions you can clearly see how your business is being affected by the crisis as well as how it is not. By breaking the crisis into smaller sections it becomes easier to negotiate and see the opportunities there are for growth. 

By the end of the Crisis Strategy Assessment tool, you should be in the perfect place to create a plan. If strategy is not a strong point of your business then you could appoint a part-time strategy director to help facilitate this process and help create your strategic direction.

“Test, measure, learn. It is the best way to understand what works best for your company and invest in the right area to get more efficient and achieve business growth.” – Irina Georgieva

Tool 2: SWOT Analysis

This is a tool that has likely been used before within your business. However, a key part of inspiring business growth is to regularly review your SWOT. You can only grow as a business if you are aware of your periodic growth with recognition of what has worked and what hasn’t, so you can make informed strategy decisions for your company’s future. 

SWOT analysis is so simple and yet effective for strategizing as it requires you to assess your company’s strengths and weaknesses so you can quickly get an idea of where your business is at today. This works best as a brainstorming exercise with your board and honesty is essential. 

The next part of SWOT is to facilitate looking at what potential opportunities may be there for your company to seize upon as well as potential threats you could avoid through forward planning.

Similar to the Crisis Strategy Assessment tool, SWOT is a brilliant tool for evaluating where your business is at and gives you a great basis from which to create a strategic direction you can feel confident about. The final tool, however, facilitates the creation of an actionable plan.

Tool 3: MOST Analysis

The MOST analysis tool follows on from the previous two tools because once you’ve done your brainstorming and evaluation, you are now ready to create your strategy that will lead to business growth. MOST stands for mission, objectives, strategies and tactics. Let’s look at how each of these relate to each other to create your overall plan:

Mission: In this section you, as a business, have to decide where you want to be in a given timescale (e.g. in a year’s time). It is important to keep your mission to very simple and clear terms such as turnover and profit. That way within the timescale, you can evaluate and measure effectively whether you achieved your mission. 

Objectives: This is where you begin to plot out the main objectives of your journey that your business will have to implement to reach your overall mission. What must your business do in order to achieve your desired turnover and profit. If helpful, you may view objectives as the rungs on the ladder. 

Strategies: Now you can begin thinking about how you may achieve these objectives. What avenues do you have that could lead you to success in these areas? For each objective write down at least two possible strategies that could bring about success because then your business will have options as you progress. 

Tactics: This is the creation of an actionable plan. Your tactics are the “who does what and when.” In order for you to achieve business growth you will need to delegate; and when there’s delegation, everyone must know what they are responsible for. 

Everything is related so that the tactics support the strategies to deliver the objectives that help to achieve the mission.

Inspiring business growth comes from looking at where your business has been already. The Crisis Strategy Assessment and the SWOT tools are brilliant for evaluating your business and seeing what has and hasn’t worked in the past and where your business is now. 

The MOST analysis tool facilitates the creation of your actionable strategic plan that will lead your business to grow. Once you have completed your plan and have begun implementing the actions keep it under review every quarter in order to adjust where needed to ensure further growth. 

John Courtney is Founder and Chief Executive of BoardroomAdvisors.co which provides part-time Executive Directors (Commercial/Operations/Managing Directors), Non-Executive Directors and paid Mentors to SMEs without either a recruitment fee or a long-term contract. John is a serial entrepreneur, having founded 7 different businesses over a 40-year period, including a digital marketing agency, corporate finance and management consultancy. He has trained and worked as a strategy consultant, raised funding through Angels, VCs and crowd funding, and exited businesses via MBO, MBI and trade sale. He has been ranked #30 in CityAM’s list of UK Entrepreneurs.

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Boost your focus, confidence, and results with 11 powerful habits successful people use every day.

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Successful people love to help beginners. They have an incredible work ethic and rarely complain. As a result, others naturally look up to them and want to follow in their footsteps.

But here’s the truth: there’s no success without sacrifice. You’ll need to give up comfort, excuses, and sometimes even social approval to accomplish your goals.

Value comes from solving problems, and these 11 powerful tips will help you become more productive, successful, and confident, starting today.

1. Take Short Breaks After Finishing a Task

Psychology shows it’s important to reward positive behaviour.

After completing a big task or finishing a book, take five minutes to walk, stretch, or simply breathe. This quick reset helps your brain recharge and strengthens focus.

Many great writers swear by morning walks, solitude, and reflection can unlock creativity.

But if you refuse to take breaks, don’t be surprised when burnout hits. Your brain needs recovery time just as much as your body does.

2. Schedule Your Most Important Tasks First

Multitasking kills productivity. If you want to get more done, try time blocking, a method where you dedicate set periods for specific tasks.

Productivity expert Caitlin Hughes explains, “Time blocking involves scheduling blocks of time for your tasks throughout the day.”

For example, if you’re a writer:

  • Research your topic at night.

  • Write your first draft in the morning (don’t worry if it’s rough).

  • Edit in the afternoon, great writing comes from rewriting.

You can’t buy more time. Use it intentionally and without regret.

3. Eliminate Distractions from Your Workspace

Focus is the foundation of success.

According to Inc. Magazine, it takes an average of 23 minutes to recover from a distraction. That’s nearly half an hour of lost productivity every time you check your phone.

Put your phone away. Close unnecessary tabs. And yes, limit your Netflix binges.

Meeting deadlines consistently is one of the fastest ways to stand out and earn respect.

4. Take Full Responsibility for Your Life

Entrepreneur Derek Sivers once said, “Everything is my fault.”

This mindset doesn’t mean self-blame; it means self-ownership. Stop pointing fingers, making excuses, or waiting for others to change.

If your habits (like smoking or drinking too much) hold you back, it’s time to make better choices. Your friends can’t live your dreams for you; only you can.

5. Invest an Hour a Day in Learning New Skills

Knowledge compounds over time.

Whether you read books, take online courses, or practise a craft, consistent learning gives you a competitive edge.

I used to struggle with academic writing, but I improved by studying the work of great authors and applying what I learned.

Your past doesn’t define you; your actions do. Every new skill adds another tool to your arsenal and makes you more unstoppable.

6. Develop a Growth Mindset

Psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck introduced the concept of fixed vs. growth mindset.

  • A fixed mindset believes success is based on natural talent.

  • A growth mindset believes success comes from effort and learning.

Choose the growth mindset. Embrace challenges. See failures as feedback. In today’s fast-moving digital world, adaptability is your biggest advantage.

7. Learn Marketing to Reach People Who Need You

I once believed marketing was manipulative, until I realised it’s about helping people solve problems.

If your work provides genuine value, marketing is how you let others know it exists. Even Apple spends billions on it.

Don’t be ashamed to promote your skills or business. Without visibility, your ideas will never reach the people who need them most.

Creative professionals who understand marketing and sales have an unfair advantage.

8. Ask Your Mentor the Right Questions

Good mentors can fast-track your growth.

While mentorship often costs money, it’s one of the best investments you can make. Great mentors don’t care about titles; they care about your progress.

If you don’t have access to a mentor yet, books are your silent mentors. Read the best in your field, take notes, and apply what resonates.

9. Build Confidence Through Action, Not Affirmations

Author Ryan Holiday once said, “I don’t believe in myself. I have evidence.”

Confidence doesn’t come from shouting affirmations into the mirror; it comes from proof. Doing hard things, keeping promises to yourself, and following through.

When you consistently take action, your brain gathers evidence that you can handle whatever comes next. That’s real confidence, grounded, earned, and unshakable.

10. Focus on Your Strengths

Your strengths reveal where your greatest impact lies.

If people compliment you on something often, it’s a clue. Lean into it.

A former professor once told me I was creative, and that simple comment gave me the confidence to go all in. I studied creativity, applied it daily, and turned it into my career advantage.

Double down on your strengths. That’s how you build momentum and mastery.

11. Identify and Challenge Your Limiting Beliefs

Your beliefs shape your reality.

For years, I believed I couldn’t be a great writer because of my chronic tinnitus and astigmatism, sensory challenges that made concentration difficult. But over time, I realised those struggles made me more disciplined, observant, and empathetic.

Your limitations can become your greatest motivators if you let them.

Avoid shortcuts. Growth takes time, but it’s always worth it.

Final Thoughts

Becoming productive, successful, and confident isn’t about working harder than everyone else. It’s about working smarter, consistently, and intentionally.

You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. Start small: take a break after your next task, schedule your priorities, or spend one hour learning something new.

Every habit you change compounds into long-term success. Remember, true change comes from practising new behaviours.

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