Break Through Your Company’s Growth Plateau: A Step-by-Step Checklist to Build a High-Value Operating Plan

At On the Floor Consulting, we believe that every small business can achieve breakthrough growth — and maximize its valuation — by aligning people, strategy, and execution under one unshakable North Star. But first, you need to identify your current state (and your current points of dissatisfaction).

If you're a business owner stuck in the weeds or unsure how to scale, this checklist will walk you through how to build an Operating Plan grounded in long-term vision — one that puts your business on the path to strategic growth and long-term value.

This is your step-by-step checklist to create focus, alignment, and momentum — starting today.

Building a High-Value Operating Plan

Step 1: Diagnose the Current State

Before you can plan where you're going, you need to be brutally honest about where you are. Start with this question:

What are your current pain points, frustrations, or bottlenecks?

Use a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to ground this discussion in real terms. This becomes the foundation for everything else.

Step 2: Define Your North Star — The 10-Year Vision

Your North Star Vision is your company’s true long-term destination. It's the unchanging point on the horizon that all decisions and strategies should “vector toward.”

Break this down into two statements:

• Internal Vision (Quantitative): Include bold targets like revenue, market share, and profit margins.

• External Vision (Qualitative): Reflect customer impact, brand reputation, and service quality.

Example:
“In 10 years, we will be the Midwest’s leading [industry] provider, earning $50M in revenue with 20% margins and delivering the most trusted service experience in our category.”

Step 3: Identify Your Values and Mission

Before you can lead others, you need clarity on what your company stands for.

• Choose 5 Core Values that reflect how you differentiate in the market.

• Write your Mission Statement: This is who you are, who you serve, and how you deliver.

Example format:
“[Company] exists to deliver [impact] to [target customers] by providing [product/service] with [approach or philosophy].”

Step 4: Set Your 3-Year Waypoint

Now, work backward from your North Star to paint a clear picture of what success looks like 3 years from now.

Answer these questions:

• What’s your revenue and profit target?

• What are your growth indicators? (# of clients, # of locations, etc.)

• How will your company look and feel — from products and services to people and processes?

Use this as your “midpoint milestone” — a tangible check-in on your long-term journey.

Step 5: Build a 1-Year Operating Plan

This is where we roll up our sleeves.

Outline 3–7 strategic priorities for the year that will help you make major progress toward your 3-Year Waypoint.

For each goal, define:

• Specific KPIs (key performance indicators)

• SMART attributes (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)

• Financial projections (Revenue, Profit)

This 1-year plan becomes the heartbeat of your business — with every function and team aligned around executing it.

Step 6: Break It Into a 90-Day Plan

Annual goals are only actionable when broken into quarterly Big Rocks.

For each 90-day period:

• List 3–5 Big Rocks — the most important deliverables or projects

• Assign ownership to a specific leader

• Track progress weekly and monthly through regularly established meetings and a tracking system.

These are the building blocks that transform strategy into execution.

Step 7: Maintain a Running List of RIOs

Your RIO List tracks:

• Risks to be mitigated

• Issues to be solved

• Opportunities to be capitalized on

Update this list frequently and pull future Big Rocks from here. This becomes your strategic backlog — a living, evolving insight engine.

Ready to Start?

Building a business of enduring value doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through intentional planning and relentless execution — all aligned to your North Star.

If you're ready to break through your company’s growth plateau and start building the kind of company that can actually run without your daily on-the-floor intervention, let’s start with your current state and work from there.

Need help getting started?

We offer free consultations to help frame your current state and what your Vision and Operating Plan might look like.

Contact us to learn more.

or message me on LinkedIn to start the conversation.