This is the first blog in a five-part series outlining the whys and wherefores of strategic planning for family, middle-market, and closely held businesses.
At JACO Advisory Group, we believe strategy doesn’t begin with ambition–it begins with understanding.
Too often, companies rush to build their plan before they’ve studied the terrain. But in an industry shaped by complexity, velocity, and fragmentation, skating to where the puck is simply isn’t enough. The winners anticipate. They prepare. They position.
That’s why we start every engagement with a foundational imperative: deeply understand the industry, its future trajectory, and your company’s right to play within it.
The Discipline to Understand
NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky famously said he didn’t skate to where the puck was–he skated to where it was going to be. For middle-market companies, that mindset isn’t inspirational–it’s existential.
Markets shift. Margins compress. New entrants and technologies emerge without notice. If your strategy doesn’t reflect how your industry is evolving, and how your company is uniquely positioned to lead, you’re reacting, not leading.
We call this first stage Shape: where we help clients assess not just what they do, but why it matters and where it gives them an advantage.
Understanding Why Strategic Planning Is Important (And How Middle-Market Firms Get Stuck)
The reality? Most leadership teams are too close to the day-to-day and too thinly resourced to step back and assess industry dynamics objectively. These dynamics include:
- What trends are accelerating, and which are fading?
- What assumptions underpin your competitive position?
- Where is capital flowing, and what does that signal?
- How are customer behaviors, technologies, and regulations shifting?
So, why is strategic planning important–especially the industry assessment step? Without clarity, strategy becomes a guessing game. We see it often–companies launch strategic initiatives that are disconnected from real opportunity. It’s not a lack of ambition, but rather a lack of insight.
From Insight to Intent: The Strategic Questions That Matter
Understanding the benefits of strategic planning starts with asking the right questions. At JACO, we help leadership teams frame their strategy around two essential questions:
1. Where to Play
Few businesses operate within clean, neatly drawn lines. Suppliers serve multiple markets. Technologies stretch across industries. Customers expect more than ever before.
Determining where to play means more than identifying your “industry.” It means finding segments with growth potential, economic attractiveness, and a competitive path forward.
Warren Buffett put it simply: “When a good manager meets a bad industry, it’s the industry that keeps its reputation.” The best strategy in the world cannot overcome structural headwinds. But in the right market, with the right capabilities, mid-sized companies can outperform large corporations.
2. How to Win
This is the heart of the matter. It’s where market understanding intersects with company strength.
Winning companies don’t chase trends. They build conviction about the future and align their teams to get there first. That alignment of vision, priorities, and execution requires more than motivational language. It demands a roadmap.
A compelling vision defines what success looks like five years from now. But strategy fills in the blanks: what investments, capabilities, and initiatives will turn that vision into outcomes?
Our job is to help clients connect those dots with discipline and precision.
What’s Next
The Shape phase is not a theoretical exercise. It’s the groundwork that gives leaders the confidence to move fast, invest smart, and communicate clearly. It becomes the lens through which opportunity is recognized and risk is mitigated.
Because in a world that moves fast, clarity is a competitive advantage.
Experience the Benefits of Strategic Planning
JACO Advisory Group helps middle-market companies understand why a strategic plan is important—and then we help you build one. We help you see reality, build an objective strategy based on facts, and develop the skills needed through discipline and precision. Contact us today to get clarity and create a strategic plan to help your business grow and change for the better.
