an educational book publisher to sell books and stationery to schools All of these options reinforce what the business already does - providing products that enable written communications. A strategy that doesn't fit so well - for instance, selling interactive DVDs - could be harder to implement and more likely to fail. Check the strategy against any SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis in your business review. How does it address the issues the analysis found? For example, if the stationery business recognises a declining market for typewriters, would adding computer printer consumables address all the points raised by the SWOT analysis? You'll need to assess whether you have resources and capacity to make the strategy work. See the page in this guide on the practicalities of growth. You'll also need to be sure that the funding is available and that your strategy will generate a profit. See the pages in this guide on financing your growth strategy and getting a return on your investment for growth. The practicalities of growth Your business will need to count on more resources than simply finance when putting a growth plan into action. You should also think about the following: Staffing - will you need to take on more people to make the strategy work? How many? What skills will be required? Are those readily available? Training -will further training of existing staff be necessary or helpful? Premises - are they big enough for extra stock and/or a new production line? Will there