FAQ

These are interactive sessions. We have found that clients experience greater value from strategy sessions when participants are in the same room, interacting, writing on the materials, using storyboarding, and “experiencing” the session rather than passively watching the session through a lens. Therefore, we do not schedule 480Strategy™ sessions, virtually.  

This is your session and we encourage you to invite as many team members as you like. It has been our experience that sessions with no more than 7 participants produces the best results but we have had as many as 29 Board and Executives in a session. Because strategic information will be shared during the session, we can provide a confidentiality agreement for your team members to sign before the session begins. 

1. We can facilitate the session in your conference room provided you have adequate whitewalls/white boards and wall space that are conducive for a visual strategy session. 

2. We have memberships in co-working/office spaces across the United States and we can arrange to host your session in one of the closest facilities to your location at an additional fee.

3. You can arrange the session as an off-site retreat for your team at a resort location of your choosing. Client pays all fees.  

Once you officially sign up for a session, our team will hold a 15-minute telephone call or Zoom meeting with you to help design your session. We will ask about your company, industry, and competitors. This enables our team to help structure your session before we arrive. When possible, we will have analyzed the industry report most suited to your business and we will have conducted some basic competitive intelligence on the major competitors that you identify.  

Absolutely. This is your session. Our 480Strategy™ facilitators are used to adapting and customizing the session to meet your needs in real-time. The sessions are interactive and engaging. Questions are encouraged and can be asked at any time.  This is NOT a canned program. 

Keep in mind that it takes weeks to create and develop a complete strategic plan. So, while we will discuss many key strategic concepts, this will not result in a comprehensive strategic plan. It will, however, provide you and your team with the strategic mindset and framework to think strategically about decisions made at all levels of your company. Our approach is to use our experience when facilitating your session and to share with you our thoughts and experiences; but you retain the right to make all final strategic decisions. Having said that, our objective is at the end of our 480 minutes together, you have several strategic, operational and/or functional strategies to help drive your organization forward.  

While there will certainly be many ideas shared during your 480Strategy™ session, the ideas and concepts shared are for your benefit. You know your company, your products and services, your competition, your customers, and your industry better than we do. So, while ideas may be generated during your session, they are ideas for you to ponder and make your own decisions. We do make one promise to you - we will share with you what we think you need to know.  

All our strategists who facilitate the 480Strategy™ session have at least a master’s degree in business and have worked for or consulted with organizations from nonprofits, startups to Fortune 500 companies. Your assigned strategist will have both academic and real-world experience to help you and your team see your company and your opportunities with a strategic mindset. 

Yes, in fact, the more you share the more value you might receive from your session.  We will bring confidentiality agreements to your session and ask everyone in the room (members of our team, members of your team and any external parties you invite to your session) to sign a confidentiality agreement which basically states, “what is said in the room stays in the room”.  

Yes! It has been our experience that most companies spend most of their time working at the operational and functional levels of the organization and do not often have the opportunity to think at the strategic level. For six months following your session you will receive unlimited email support to answer any questions you may have. You can also request a one-hour zoom meeting to work on any specific area of strategy you wish to discuss.

While our 480strategy™ process is proprietary, everything created during the session belongs to you. You are welcome to take notes on all discussions, and take pictures of the whiteboards and the posters used. Our team will also take notes and provide a copy of the notes for you as well. Your session includes:
    · 15-minute pre-session telephone call or Zoom meeting
    · One day working directly with one of our strategists
    · Copies of all materials developed during your 480Strategy™ session
    · Access (if available) to information related to your competitors
    · Access (if available) to an industry report depicting where analysts believe your industry is     
      headed for the next 5 years
    · Unlimited email support
    · One Zoom meeting to discuss a strategy topic of your choosing 

It is not unusual for clients to request us back to help with various strategic areas of the organization. In fact, if we identify any areas in which we believe we can help you grow, we will discuss those with you following your session.