Starting a small business requires extensive planning and research. But just because things are up and running doesn’t mean your days as a strategist are done. In fact, they are just beginning.

Planning is an ongoing necessity because the environment in which your small business operates continually changes. New opportunities and challenges will arise that are different than those assessed during the startup stage. Your initial financial projections may be literally and figuratively on the money — or trending in a different and unexpected direction.

Central Maine SCORE chapter mentor Frank DeMascola advises the following planning tips to keep your small business on track for long-term growth:

Revisit your business plan. Your business plan shouldn’t become a “trophy” of your startup success. Refer to it every quarter or six months to match estimates with current realities. Update your plan as needed with new or modified contingencies, and adjust time frames for key milestones such as expansions or new product/service lines.

Watch your industry. With today’s interconnected global economy, you must stay current with world and community events. Watch for shifts in demand, study your sales records, and communicate with customers, suppliers and colleagues.

Develop relationships. Perhaps a more cost-effective option than additional investment to create growth might be in building partnerships with other businesses in your field, or use of specialty consultants, to help stretch your capabilities.

DeMascola further recommends: “Another area to consider, often easily overlooked, is your own staff. Because a growing business will demand more of your time, identify employees who can take on routine and management responsibilities. They will relish the opportunity to grow personally and professionally, and you will be free to focus on other issues.”

To learn more about starting and operating your small business, contact SCORE, a nonprofit nationwide organization of more than 12,000 volunteer business mentors who provide confidential counseling and training workshops. In the Lewiston-Auburn area, call Central Maine SCORE at 782-3708 for information and an appointment; in Rumford-Mexico call 364-3123; in Oxford Hills call 743-0499. Or contact SCORE at www.SCOREMaine.org.

This column is provided by the Central Maine SCORE chapter.