Strategic Plan, Part I: Conceptualizing a Business
This paper will define the business called All Your Heroes at One Stop (AYHAOS), Comic Shop. This paper will define the business, products or services, and customers by developing a concise mission statement. It will also create a vision for this organization, define the guiding principles and values, and analyze how the vision, mission, and values guide the organization’s strategic direction.
The main goal of All Your Heroes at One Stop (AYHAOS) Comic Shop is presenting the heroes from the golden age of comics to today’s modern heroes in an entertaining and educational way that both adults and children can enjoy them. AYHAOS also wants all customers to have the unique experience wandering through their favorite hero’s history and living with them through their next adventure. AYHAOS is an independent Comic shop selling comic books, graphic novels, hobby paraphernalia, and hosting gaming tournaments in Mesa, Arizona. AYHAOS will carry varied range of comic book genres and styles from the golden age of comics to the contemporary Anime comic genre.
At AYHAOS the believe is that the customer should feel at ease and be able to enjoy their hobby. Our customers are the most important part of the business and employees work diligently to go the extra mile to make the customers feel welcome, valued, and satisfied. By achieving these goals the customer becomes the store’s best advertisers.
AYHAOS built a whole suite just for gamer and tournaments. This suite is open during normal business hours for pickup games, and the store sponsors tournaments on a monthly basis. We have two unique clubs the first is the Heroes Comic Club and those members can reserve the gaming suite without charge to run events, hold private tournaments, or meet for any other reason. Our Heroes Comic Club also allows members the opportunity to order in advance any products that the store may carry and place merchandise on hold for up to 60 days. The second is the Heroes Gaming Club and those members have first rights to enter any tournaments or gaming events held at the store and those members can reserve the gaming suite for free to run events, hold private tournaments, or meet for any other reason. Members of both clubs receive a 10% discount on all merchandise purchase in the store. The store requires good sportsman conduct of all game players.
At AYHAOS we will target the comic connoisseur, ie those adults who have an interest in comics and are extremely selective in their choice of heroes and how they spend their time, local artists, and the local youth and young adults who enjoy gaming and enjoy reading and collecting comics. To accomplish this goal the store will supply opportunities for local artist to showcase their art, become involved in the community through volunteer work with the local schools, boys and girls clubs, and work with the City of Mesa’s Parks and Recreation Board to assist in the creation and maintenance of programs that keep kids out of gangs and off drugs. We donate a portion of our after-tax profits to the East Young Marine Unit, the Mesa City library, and the Mesa Public School District to encourage or directly assist in reading and educational programs. This also includes a minimum of 30 hours per year per employee to volunteer to assist one of these programs. The success of AYHAOS is directly tied to the success of the community, and the company will work to ensure that it will do what is can to make our community a better place to live.
Creating a unique experience for the customer is the only thing that will keep the store in business. The store will carry comics of all eras and of all grades. The store will not carry any Mature or X-rated material as the company policy is to establish a comfortable and accessible setting for our customers to find what they are looking for, and if a parent can’t feel comfortable leaving their child or teenager in the store then the company is not meeting that mission. The store will provide a for subscription services for any customers who would like to have the current issue of the favorite comic waiting for them when they come into the store. The store is a friendly gathering place for people of any age to enjoy their hobby. The company operates on the golden rule in business dealings with all customers, vendors, suppliers, investors, and any other persons who come into the store. The company does not discriminate against race, age, sex, sexual preference, nationality, or religion and expect the customer to follow these policies while in the store.
AYHAOS is a member of the Comic Book Collecting Association (CBCA) and will host at least one CBCA event every year. The mission of the CBCA is to promote the comic book art form and hobby of comic book collecting for people of all ages by encouraging fellowship among comic book enthusiasts, providing information and education to the public, and helping to facilitate the buying, selling, and trading of comic books and related material in an environment of trustworthiness and integrity (Comic Collecting, 2011). The mission statement of the CBCA is in direct support of the goals and objectives of AYHAOS and is a good partnership that will enhance the stores visibility in the community and assist the store in giving back to the community.
Using these strategies will allow the store to create an environment that will not only welcome customers, collectors, and the curious but will give the store a standing in the community. This reputation will let the community know that the store is not only here to do business but also make the community a better place to live.
This paper created a vision for this organization, defined the guiding principles and values, and analyzed how the vision, mission, and values guide the organization’s strategic direction. The store will meet the customer needs by providing not only a friendly place for the customer to browse and shop but also will allow the members of both clubs to reserve in advanced all copies of comics and artwork that they want so that they will never miss a copy. The store will also host events that the customer can attend and thereby get involved in other realms for the comic and hero worlds.

Reference
Comic Collecting. (2011). Comic Book Collecting Association. Retrieved from http://www.comiccollecting.org/