The excitement of becoming an entrepreneur and starting a new business has faded. Your first dollar of revenue has been earned and quickly reinvested. Now, you are in the thick of the battle. This is where winning means making payroll for the month and losing means the bank foreclosing on your house.

Maybe a professor talked you into running your own business. Or maybe you grew tired of serving in corporate America and working for underwhelming talent. More than likely, your entrepreneurial spirit was ingrained in your DNA. Early on in the journey, you found yourself struggling to survive. You realized that it wasn’t just about providing value and navigating regulations. You had to combat companies that are trying to put you out of business, from major corporations using economies of scale and digitized platforms to squeeze your margins to smaller firms trying to kill you with a thousand pin pricks. Running a small business, you are always under siege. Victims sit back and worry about their organization; on the other hand, competitors focus their efforts on a grand strategy, strong offensive actions, and on training to refine their decision-making.

They understand how to differentiate themselves from industry leaders and how to serve a niche customer base. Lastly, they know how to assault smaller competitors with efficient, effective, and high probability strikes to take market share. Most of your competitors are using rudimentary planning tools with haphazard tactics. They are vulnerable to disruption and to businesses that know how to execute a competitive strategy.

Strategy for the Small Business will guide you through the five stages of competition-based strategic planning with easy-to-use templates to help you refine your approach to winning.