Business Planning

Well, it is wet. Very. Yesterday's blog did not lie.

One of the effects of any extended offshore trip is the cumulative build up of new strategies, ideas and plans for action. I have arrived back in Tauranga this time with a vast collection of jotted notes, half-edited brochures and no shortage of Tasks in my Outlook folder.

So despite it being a Saturday, I am at the desk trying to make sense of it all.

My solution is to go through my existing business plans and start editing with the new information I have. That's going to be a whole lot of editing.

The backdrop for the planning is an interesting one. Whilst many are focused on the downside of the economic challenges out there, I am reminded of the words of Lord Erroll at that lunch. He looked at the scenario of the last major global crash of the late 1920's and early 30's. That was a time when many of the old models of the day succumbed and it was the disruptive technologies and new ways of thinking of the time that were to emerge as the industry leaders of the future.

That is how I am approaching my world and my space today. The world of content and advertising are facing insurmountable challenges and many of the old ways are collapsing. Yahoo today reports that The American Society of Newspapers Editors has just canceled its 2009 Annual Convention.

"The industry is in crisis," said Charlotte Hall, president of the trade group and editor of the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel. "This is a time when editors need to be in their own news rooms doing everything they can," to help their publications survive.

For the Rocky Mountain News, it all comes too late. Colorado and Denver's major daily, and the largest to to fold in the current crisis, ceased publication today. Earlier this week, the adverse economic conditions also prompted Magazine Publishers of America to cancel its convention this year.

It's a sobering background to update the Plan. And so are the recent stats from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. In a report released this week, the IAB said that ad spend had increased from $135.6 million in 2007 to $193.15 million in 2008. That's an increase in online spend of 43% year on year.

That's my world. That's my space. And it is with those thoughts that the current Business Plan is being edited and updated. And yes, it's still raining outside.