Most small business owners do not avoid planning because they do not care. They avoid it because planning usually turns into a big document, a long meeting, and a list of goals that never shows up again once the week gets busy.
A one page strategic plan solves that. It gives you a clear direction, a short set of priorities, and a simple way to track whether the business is moving forward. It is not about perfect wording. It is about making better decisions and staying consistent when things get noisy.
If you want help building a practical plan that actually turns into weekly action, working with a business coach can help you tighten the priorities and turn them into a roadmap you can run with.
What A One Page Strategic Plan Actually Is
A one page strategic plan is a single page summary of where the business is going and what matters most over the next 12 months. It is built to be read quickly, shared with your team, and reviewed often.
It is different from a business plan. A business plan is often written for banks, investors, or formal planning. A one page strategic plan is written for execution. It helps you answer simple questions like:
What are we trying to achieve this year
What are the few priorities that will get us there
What are the key projects we need to run
How will we know we are on track
What are we doing each week to keep momentum
When those answers fit on one page, they are more likely to be used.
When A One Page Strategic Plan Works Best
This approach works best when you need clarity and speed, not complexity.
It is ideal if you run a small team, you manage client delivery, and you are trying to grow without adding chaos. It is also useful if you feel pulled in too many directions and want a simple way to decide what to say yes to.
A one page strategic plan is a strong fit if:
You have lots of ideas but not enough time to execute them properly
Your team is busy, but everyone is focused on different things
You are growing revenue but profit and capacity are not improving
You keep reacting to urgent issues and pushing important projects out
You are about to hire, expand, change your offer, or step back from day to day operations
It is also a great tool for trades, service businesses, and professional services firms because it helps you balance delivery work with growth projects.
The One Page Strategic Plan Template
You do not need a fancy template. You need a structure that forces focus. Below is a simple layout that fits on one page and covers what matters.
Section 1: Your Focus For The Next 12 Months
Start with one clear statement about the direction of the business. Keep it simple and practical.
Examples:
Increase profit by tightening pricing and improving job margins
Build a stronger leadership layer so the owner is not the bottleneck
Shift the business toward higher value projects and better clients
Improve capacity by strengthening systems and reducing rework
Then add one short line that makes your focus more specific:
What does success look like in real life for you
What will be different by the end of the year
What are you saying no to
That last part matters. A plan becomes useful when it helps you stop doing the wrong things.
Section 2: Your 3 To 5 Strategic Priorities
This is the heart of the plan. Your priorities are the few areas that will make the biggest difference this year.
Most small businesses should not have more than five priorities at a time. Three is often even better.
Common small business strategic priorities include:
Increase profit and cash flow
Improve lead quality and sales conversion
Build systems that reduce reliance on the owner
Strengthen team performance and accountability
Increase capacity so delivery is smoother and less stressful
Improve customer experience and retention
Choose priorities that solve your biggest constraints, not the ones that sound good.
Section 3: Targets That Tell You If It’s Working
Without targets, a plan turns into a wish list. Targets give you clarity and remove a lot of emotional decision making.
Pick a handful of numbers that truly tell you if progress is happening.
Examples:
Monthly revenue target
Monthly profit target
Average job margin
Leads per month from key channels
Sales conversion rate
Average delivery time
Utilization or capacity targets for your team
Owner hours per week in delivery versus leadership
Targets should be realistic and trackable. It is better to track five useful numbers than twenty that you never look at.
Section 4: Key Projects That Move The Priorities
Now convert priorities into projects. A priority is a category. A project is something you can finish.
If your priority is improve profit, a project might be pricing review and margin reset
If your priority is increase capacity, a project might be redesign how work is handed off from sales to delivery
If your priority is reduce owner dependency, a project might be build a leadership layer with clear responsibilities
If your priority is improve lead quality, a project might be tighten your offer and update key pages on the site
Keep this simple. One to two projects per priority is enough.
Write each project as:
Project name
Owner
Due date or timeframe
What success looks like
Section 5: Your Weekly Execution Rhythm
This is what stops your plan from dying.
Your plan needs a weekly rhythm that makes it part of normal operations. It does not have to be heavy.
A simple rhythm looks like this:
A 20 minute weekly review for the owner to check targets and projects
A short team meeting to align priorities and remove blockers
One focus block each week dedicated to the most important project
You do not need motivation. You need a repeatable rhythm.
How To Build Yours In 60 Minutes
You can build your one page strategic plan quickly if you stay out of perfection mode. Start with clarity, then refine later.
Step 1: Pick the timeframe
Choose 12 months. If that feels too long, choose 90 days first and extend it later.
Step 2: Write your 12 month focus
Write one sentence about what matters most. Then write one sentence about what you are not doing.
Step 3: Choose your 3 to 5 priorities
Look at what is causing the most pain or limiting growth right now. Choose priorities that solve those issues.
Step 4: Add your targets
Pick five to eight numbers that match your priorities. If you cannot measure something, keep it out for now.
Step 5: Add your projects
Turn each priority into one to two projects. Choose projects that will actually move the numbers.
Step 6: Decide your weekly rhythm
Choose a weekly review time. Choose a team meeting rhythm. Choose one focus block.
At this point, the plan is usable. That is the goal.
Common Mistakes That Make Plans Useless
A one page plan can still fail if it turns into vague language or too many priorities.
Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Too Many Priorities
If you have ten priorities, you have none. Your team will not know what matters.
Keep it tight. Three to five priorities max.
No Targets
A priority without a target becomes a nice idea. Targets make decisions easier and stop you arguing with yourself each week.
Projects With No Owner
If no one owns a project, it will not move. Assign ownership even if you are the owner for now.
No Weekly Rhythm
The plan needs a weekly check in. Without it, you will only think about it when things go wrong.
Turning It Into A Wish List
A strategic plan is not a bucket list. It is a set of priorities you are willing to commit to.
Measuring Everything
Choose a small set of numbers. Too many metrics creates confusion and delays action.
Keeping It In Your Head
Share the plan with your team. A one page plan is designed to be visible and understood.
How To Keep The Plan Alive Each Quarter
Quarterly review is where you stay realistic and keep momentum.
You are not rewriting the plan every quarter. You are checking what is working and adjusting the projects.
A practical quarterly review includes:
What progress did we make on targets
Which projects moved the numbers
What did we start that we should stop
What is still a priority and what is no longer relevant
What are the next one to three projects for the coming quarter
This is also where you decide whether a larger shift is needed. Sometimes the review makes it clear that small changes are not enough, and you need more structured support through strategic planning consulting.
Do You Need A Coach For This
Some business owners can build a one page plan on their own and stick to it. That is more likely if you have strong discipline, a capable leadership team, and clear numbers.
Support becomes useful when you are too close to the business to see what matters most, or when you keep changing priorities because the next urgent issue takes over.
A coach can help you:
Choose priorities that will actually move profit and capacity
Turn ideas into a realistic roadmap with sequencing
Build a rhythm that keeps the plan alive
Hold you accountable when things get busy
Align the plan with the team so execution improves
If you want help turning your plan into a practical roadmap you can actually run, strategic planning consulting is designed for exactly that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is A One Page Strategic Plan
It is a single page summary of your direction, priorities, targets and key projects for the next 12 months, built to be reviewed and used regularly.
Is This The Same As A One Page Business Plan
Not exactly. A business plan is often written for formal use. A one page strategic plan is written for execution and internal alignment.
How Many Priorities Should A Small Business Have
Most small businesses should have three to five priorities. More than that usually leads to scattered effort and poor execution.
How Often Should I Update A Strategic Plan
Review it weekly in a simple way and do a more detailed review each quarter. Update priorities only when the business situation changes or the plan is no longer realistic.
What Should I Measure In A Small Business Strategic Plan
Choose a small set of numbers that match your priorities, such as profit, cash flow, lead volume, conversion rate, job margin, delivery time, and owner capacity.
If you want support building this into a plan you can execute, you can book a discovery call.
