Improve Your Local Economy
Host a Strategy Guidemap Event
Will helping small businesses learn strategy improve your community?
In just 3-minutes, learn how you may help your community by supporting Strategy Guidemap training.
CASE STUDY:
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Encouraging growth from within - Sevier County
Like many community and economic development programs, the Sevier County Economic Development Office balances efforts between recruitment and fostering growth from within. Their "growth from within" approach emphasizes empowering local entrepreneurs, supporting small businesses, and promoting sustainable practices that drive long-term, community-rooted growth.
By sponsoring a Strategy Guidemap training event, the Sevier County Economic Development Office catalyzed a collaborative effort that brought together the local chamber of commerce, a regional community college, and a workforce training program. The office offered critical funding support, while Strategy Guidemap managed all aspects of the event, including venue selection, marketing, participant registration, and post-training surveys.
This partnership not only strengthened community connections but also demonstrated the office's commitment to creating impactful opportunities for local businesses and organizations. When local organizations take a lead in support and promotion of Strategy Guidemap events, reach is improved and impact is greater.
Host
Hosting may reduce participant costs or makes possible events that would not otherwise be possible. Hosts cover the full cost of the event, set participant fees, and provide promotion to maximize participation.
Accelerate business growth
Strategy Guidemap events help grow businesses. You sponsor or host and we'll provide the training that accelerates business growth.
Enrich the community
Small business growth generates wealth and strengthens the community's economy, leading to improved quality of life and fostering prosperity.
Ben Wolford
Business Professor at Utah State University
"I am better equipped to make strategic decisions that will lead my team effectively, and drive growth within my organization. I wholeheartedly recommend this business training program."
Jessica Ivester
Yoga instructor at Nourish | Founder of United Yoga and Wellness
"I highly recommend this class. I have new insight on how I can do things better and grow my business."
Dallas Cox
Owner Manti Telephone Company
"...very relevant to any business owner or manager. I have been provided with the tools I need to further my business."
Ethan Migliori
Entrepreneur | SBDC Director (past) | Training Director | LearnBiz Podcaster
I don't care how smart you think you are as a business owner. You will walk away just shaking your head saying I wish I knew this 20 years ago.
Ryan Murray
SBDC Director (past) | Business Consultant and Trainer | Business Author / Dustless Technologies Director | LearnBiz Podcaster
This is an absolute must do for any small business! He completely paradigm shifted some of my thinking around strategy.
Kristen McCourt
Product Manager at Dustless Technologies
"Excellent training. The best I have attended."
MaLinda Perry
Consultant and Coach at
"Best training I have attended in years! Fun, informative and thought provoking! Do this and don’t think twice or look back!"
Jim Herrin
Director, Salt Lake Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
"Alan’s approach is brilliant, allowing even beginners to understand and implement these important concepts."
Ann Swanson
Regional Director, Southeast Idaho Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
"...a clear, easy to repeat, framework for moving out of tactical thinking and into strategy thinking. His content is excellent but his teaching is even better.”
Select a Training
Click or tap on a training to learn more. Then use the form below to receive a no-obligation quote.
Grow Your Business is Strategy Guidemap's premier training event. In only 4 hours of highly interactive and engaging training, participants answer key strategy-related questions specific to their business. Participants leave with a clear understanding of strategy and a personalized guidemap to begin accelerating growth! This program is hugely beneficial for small business owners and managers.
Businesses may request an exclusive training for their leadership team or register to attend an event being hosted near them. We welcome inquiries from organizations interested in sponsoring or hosting an event for their area's businesses.
For business consultants and advisors, the clear, easy-to-apply principles of strategic growth enhances the quality and impact of their business counseling. Business Strategy Advisor Certification is available to consultants who complete the training and a brief online assessment.
The Grow Your Business Refresher is a one-hour online refresher offered exclusively for previous Grow Your Business attendees. It reviews key principles from the Grow Your Business training, helping past participants maintain clarity and enhance their application of strategic growth concepts.
Upstream Signal Marketing is a powerful, strategy-centered workshop that helps businesses identify the right customers at the right time—transforming marketing efforts and accelerating sales. Grounded in proven principles that have guided thousands of companies to sustainable growth, this 2-hour training reveals how to use strategic insight to strengthen both inbound and outbound marketing to increase sales. Whether you're looking to sharpen your marketing approach, improve sales results, or align your efforts around a long-term growth strategy, this training gives you the right tools. The workshop walks you through applying them to your business for real results.
Although it only introduces a a small portion of what is taught in Upstream Signal Marketing, the book Smarter, Not Louder: Upstream Signal Marketing for Strategic Growth is an excellent introduction in an easy and engaging 90-minute read.
In just two hours, Trailhead training guides companies to true strategic planning, not just planning mislabeled as strategic. It emphasizes the “strategy” in strategic planning, enhancing outcomes and accelerating growth, making it an ideal tone-setter for strategic planning meetings and retreats.
Businesses may request an exclusive training for their leadership team or register to attend an event being hosted near them. We welcome inquiries from organizations interested in sponsoring or hosting an event for their area's businesses.
Summit Guide transforms good counselors into great counselors. Built on the principles of Strategy Guidemap’s flagship Grow Your Business event, it condenses strategic growth principles into a focused two-hour session tailored for business coaches, advisors, counselors, consultants, instructors, and mentors. Summit Guide equips business counseling professionals to effectively engage clients with strategic growth concepts that accelerate their business growth. Business Strategy Advisor Certification is offered at no additional charge to those who complete the training.
Read comments from a few certified Business Strategy Advisors:
"Extremely valuable training." —Jill Kline, State Director, Wyoming SBDC
“I highly recommend it to anyone looking to sharpen their understanding of strategy and drive real results.” —Adelita Duryea, Founder, Sprout & Scale Marketing
"Excellent content and worth every minute!" —Marie Baker, Regional Director, Idaho SBDC
"You will walk away just shaking your head saying I wish I knew this 20 years ago." —Ethan Migliori, Regional Utah SBDC Director (former) and Training Director (current) at Utah State University Eastern
"I’ve personally worked with over 4,000 companies, and one of the biggest mistakes I see entrepreneurs make is not anchoring their business to a solid winning strategy. How sad! I highly recommend Strategy Guidemap, it is a simple, powerful approach and system that can transform any company that is serious about success!" —David Noack, Regional Director, Idaho SBDC
In one hour, Summit Guide Refresher reviews the principles taught in the Summit Guide training. It helps coaches, advisors, counselors, consultants, instructors, and mentors who have completed the Summit Guide training maintain clarity and improve their application of strategic growth principles in advising and teaching. This live online event is exclusively available to prior participants of the Summit Guide training course.
In 30 minutes, Strategy First, which is available as a live online or as a face-to-face event, clarifies what strategy is and is not. Participants see how putting strategy first will enhance growth efforts. The concepts in Strategy First are simple, yet when applied, they help put small businesses on the right path for success. Although it is good as a stand alone event, Strategy First serves as an introduction to the concepts taught in other training programs from Strategy Guidemap.
Are we a good fit?
Alan Christensen's passion is helping small businesses grow to improve the quality of life in the communities they serve. If that matches well with your economic development approach, let's partner.
Christensen founded Strategy Guidemap after 15 years as a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) director and business advisor, and over 10 years as a team leader. He has successfully leading strategic growth consulting engagements for 500+ small businesses in many industries across 20 states.
He is a master of strategy and was handpicked as one of an elite few "team leaders" for the National Strategic Research Team of the National Center for Economic Gardening - helping hundreds of businesses successfully accelerate growth. Christensen has received national accolades for expertise in business counseling and has trained thousands of business leaders.
Proven Record
consulting
500+
small businesses
- From small "solopreneur" ventures to multimillion dollar companies in every industry, Christensen has over two decades of consulting experience.
Broad Experience
led strategic growth engagements in20
states.
- Christensen has helped improve business strategy and provided strategic growth insight for over 150 companies in 20 states over the past 10 years as a certified team leader on the National Strategic Research Team of the National Center for Economic Gardening.
Premier Trainer
trained
2200+
Business Owners and Managers- As a seasoned professional trainer, Christensen has provided business training to over 2,200 small business owners and managers.
Request a Quote
You're in Good Company
SBDC Directors/Advisors
Seeking more high impact clients! We can help!
Business Consultants
Make foundational improvements in your consulting.
Finance and Lending
Improve client advising and lending decisions.
Marketing professionals
Strategy is at the core of marketing. Get clear principles of strategy.
Economic Developers
Understand and better support accelerated business growth.
Professors and Mentors
Enhance teaching and mentoring significantly with small changes.