Strategic Growth & Planning Solutions
Turn Vision into Action
Strategy that Sticks
From ideas to outcomes—clarity, alignment, and a plan you’ll actually use. →
Build a focused plan, align your team, and move from ideas to measurable results. Growth stalls when priorities compete and resources stretch thin. Our guided process helps you clarify direction, align stakeholders, and execute with confidence—so your plan becomes traction, not shelfware.
Partnership promise
Through customized workshops and learning experiences, we partner with you to:
- Clarity: Establish your long‑term direction and where to play
- Alignment: Strengthen cohesion across leadership and staff
- Decisiveness: Build confidence in faster, smarter decision‑making
- Execution: Define practical steps for immediate implementation
Together, we help your organization move from vision to execution with focus, speed, and measurable impact.
Let’s talk strategy!
Strategic Wins
Real Outcomes from Real Iowa Companies
Focused Conversations & Strategic Clarity
“Stimulated valuable discussions that helped us focus on what truly matters.”
— Henkel Construction
Customized Solutions, Seamless Fit
“Actionable and tailored to our specific needs — not a one-size-fits-all approach.”
— First Security State Bank
Teamwork & Shared Decisions
“Brought clarity and alignment we hadn’t achieved before — a game-changer for our team.”
— Cetek Inc.
Explore the 5 Steps of Strategic Success
Ready to collaborate and plan with us?
Our Strategic Planning Solutions
Two Powerful Pathways
Ideal for businesses and organizations to strengthen their future
At ADVANCE IOWA, we understand that long-term success requires more than just planning—it calls for clarity, alignment, and true transformation. That’s why we offer two powerful pathways designed to help small and mid-sized businesses strengthen their future.
ADVANCE Strategic Planning
The ADVANCE Strategic Planning program helps small and mid‑sized business leaders move beyond traditional planning into true strategic transformation. With focused guidance, we provide clarity, alignment, and a roadmap for sustainable growth.
- Four tailored, one‑on‑one sessions with our experts
- Align leadership and cut through complexity to focus on what matters most
- Build a customized roadmap for sustainable growth that reflects your unique goals and challenges
- Concludes with a comprehensive strategic plan to guide your organization with confidence
Coming Soon: A One‑Page Flyer download with a quick overview of our Strategic Planning Solutions—perfect for sharing with your team or keeping as a handy reference.
Strategic Foundation Builder
The Strategic Foundation Builder is designed to give small business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs the flexibility to strengthen their strategic approach step by step. This free program combines practical learning with convenience, helping you build confidence in core business principles without overwhelming your schedule.
- Free 4‑tier online seminar series available to all participants
- Asynchronous micro‑learning modules (6–9 minutes each) — Tier One includes 8 sections with multiple modules
- Learn core strategic principles at your own pace, anytime and anywhere
- Delivered online and in‑person with expert hosts from our center, ensuring both accessibility and guidance
Coming Soon: A One‑Page Flyer download with a quick overview of the Strategic Foundation Builder—perfect for sharing with your team or keeping as a handy reference.
Strategy is about
making choices, trade-offs;
it’s about deliberately
choosing to be different.
making choices, trade-offs;
it’s about deliberately
choosing to be different.
Why IT Matters
Strategic growth isn’t just about setting goals
—it’s about creating a roadmap that ensures your organization thrives in a changing environment. Without a clear plan, even the strongest teams risk misalignment, wasted effort, and missed opportunities.
“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.”
— Michael Porter
A well‑designed strategic plan provides:
- Clarity in decision‑making
- Focus on what truly drives success
- Alignment across leadership and staff
- Confidence in faster decisions
- Resilience in times of uncertainty
Empower your business
& your team with our Strategic Planning Solutions 
Here are the key benefits of our workshop sessions:
Collective input: Bringing together diverse perspectives from different departments and levels within an organization to generate a more comprehensive strategic plan.
Creative brainstorming: Dedicated time and space to brainstorm new ideas and approaches to address challenges and opportunities.
Alignment and consensus: Building consensus among team members on key strategic priorities and decisions.
Clearer vision and direction: Facilitating a shared understanding of the organization's vision, mission, and values, leading to a more focused strategic plan.
Enhanced engagement: Actively involving participants in the planning process, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to the strategy.
Improved communication: Creating a platform for open dialogue and discussion about critical strategic issues.
Skill development: Providing opportunities to learn and practice strategic thinking skills.
Faster implementation: By involving key stakeholders early on, our workshop sessions can expedite the implementation of the strategic plan.
Stay Engaged with Strategic Planning
Because strategy matters, your business strategy is the most important choice you’ll ever make. It defines your direction, aligns your team, and sets the stage for growth.
Strategic planning is about more than setting goals—it’s about staying connected to the insights and opportunities that shape business growth. Staying engaged ensures you don’t just plan for the future—you actively shape it.
Here’s how you can take action today:
- Read the latest insights:
Explore our LinkedIn article, What’s Next for Iowa Businesses, and discover how businesses can prepare for the future.
Don’t miss our December Webinar sessions
As part of our Outreach Programs, we’re excited to offer two live webinars designed to give you practical insights and a preview of our strategic planning solutions while introducing you to practical tools and a preview of our solutions.Pre‑2026 Planning & Business Reset: Applied Strategic Planning – Part 1 & Part 2
The recordings will also be published and the links provided below, so stay tuned.
- Participate in our poll launch
Be part of our November Strategic Planning Poll Series which is the kick-off point of a year-long poll series that focusses on business growth and transition solutions. Your input helps shape the dialogue around What's Next for Businesses.
Interested in long-term success?
Business growth requires more than effort
—it requires strategic solutions that provide lasting value.
That’s why ADVANCE IOWA offers enhanced workshops, tailored in-house solutions, and proven planning methods to help businesses align operations with vision, improve decision-making, and strengthen performance.
Be sure to ask about ADVANCE Strategic Planning, the trusted, tailored sessions that help leaders align and grow — and don’t miss your free consultation to get started!
Stay connected with tools, insights, and opportunities to keep your business moving forward by visiting our BIZ HUB for open upcoming webinars and events.
For questions & answers, visit our Business GROWTH FAQs.
Never miss a thing!
Insights from Our Participants: Workshop Feedback
Explore the valuable feedback from our recent workshop participants, highlighting their experiences and takeaways.
Henkel Construction Company
Our strategic plan had not been updated for many years and I wanted to engage a professional “outside” entity who could provide guidance to our organization. ADVANCE IOWA’s systematic process to help lead our team through the experience and stimulated valuable discussions about many important aspects of our business. Ultimately, with their leadership, we were able to develop several key deliverables that will help successfully propel us forward.
Kent A. Brcka
President
First Security State Bank
Executive Vice President
Cetek Inc.
The Cetek Inc. team visited our team in late January, 2025. We are excited to continue our strategic management exercise in our next session, where we will be focused on an examination of the business' internal and external environment and setting overall business objectives.
Todd Hutcheson
Director, ADVANCE IOWA
Let's talk.
8120 Jennings Drive | Cedar Falls, IA 50614
319-273-4692 | info@advanceiowa.com
Todd.Hutcheson@uni.edu
Janell.Crow@uni.edu