Keep Up: Have an Agile Game Plan

The days of the long, drawn-out strategic plan that has to be followed by the letter are long since gone.  Instant communication has changed the game and it's time to adapt.  The wave of the future is the Agile game plan. 

This doesn't mean you don't plan at all and fly by the seat of your pants.  It means you plan the best you can and keep your ears to the ground, because the chatter out there will let you know when and what to change. 

To make your strategy effective, first you must know your strengths, weaknesses, competitive advantages, and external factors shaping your market.  This should be agile enough to change based on new information coming in.  
We all know once you dive into something, you find out the real temperature. Just as in nature, for small businesses, it’s survival of the fittest in a changing economic environment, and those who can adapt shall conquer.

Don't burden yourself and over commit and forget to revisit the Agile strategy.  You should never be done adapting to the new circumstances you are being faced with day to day, especially as technology evolves and consumer behavior changes.  It is dangerous to be stagnant, to stubbornly hold onto a single strategy and believe it will eternally stand the test of time. Be ever mindful of the Market.  Compared to the business behemoths of the world, small businesses are able to make a big social impact these days because they can do it swiftly.