Getting Started with The Living Company

Welcome to The Living Company — an AI-powered strategic planning platform built on Willie Pietersen's Strategic Learning framework. This guide walks you through everything you need to get up and running.

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1. Create Your Account

1. Navigate to the Register page from the top-right corner of the landing page.
2. Fill in your details:
   • First name and Last name
   • Email address — this will be your login
   • Password — choose something secure (minimum 8 characters)
3. Click Create Account.
4. You will be redirected to the dashboard.

Tip: If you received an invitation email, click the link in the email instead. This will create your account and automatically connect you to the inviting organization.

2. Set Up Your Organization

Before you can start planning, you need an organization — the entity your strategic plan is built around.

1. After logging in, click Create Organization on the dashboard.
2. Enter:
   • Organization name — your company or business unit
   • Industry — helps the AI tailor advice to your sector
   • Description — a brief overview of what you do
3. Click Create.
4. You are now the Owner of this organization with full access.

3. Add Organizational Context

The more context you provide, the better the AI can guide your planning. Navigate to your organization page and populate the following tabs:

Tab	What to Add	Why It Matters
Overview	Mission, vision, core values, address	Grounds the strategy in your identity
Organization Chart	Key employees with titles, departments, reporting lines	Shows who's accountable for what
Products & Services	Product lines with categories, markets, revenue share	Clarifies what drives your business
Competitors	Direct and indirect competitors with strengths/weaknesses	Essential for competitive analysis
Key Customers	Major customers or segments with needs and pain points	Keeps customer voice central to strategy
Financials	Income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements	Provides hard data for analysis
Processes	Core and support processes with performance indicators	Highlights operational strengths and gaps

Note: You do not need to complete every tab to start planning, but the AI Advisor will flag when important data is missing and ask you to fill it in.

4. Start Your First Strategic Plan

1. From the dashboard, click Start Planning or navigate to Planning in the top navigation.
2. You will land in the LEARN phase — the first of four phases.
3. The AI Advisor will greet you and begin guiding you through a structured analysis of your situation.
4. Simply type your responses in the chat. The AI will ask follow-up questions to deepen your thinking.

5. Navigate the Interface

The planning interface has three main areas:

• Left sidebar — Phase navigation (LEARN → FOCUS → ALIGN → EXECUTE). Click a phase to see its sub-topics and track your progress.
• Center panel — The conversation with your AI Advisor. Type messages here and see captured insights, priorities, and other strategic data.
• Right panel — Contextual guidance with suggested questions and progress tracking for the current phase.

6. Understanding the Four Phases

Phase	Purpose	Key Output
LEARN	Analyze your situation across 5 areas	Key insights and brutal truths
FOCUS	Define where you will compete and how you will win	Competitive focus, winning proposition, 5 priorities
ALIGN	Align business systems to execute the strategy	Gap statements and system alignment plan
EXECUTE	Create implementation plans and track progress	Leadership message, action plans, execution tracking

7. Quick Tips for Success

• Be honest. The best strategies come from confronting brutal truths about your situation.
• Use your data. Reference the organizational data you entered — the AI will too.
• Don't rush. The LEARN phase is the foundation. Spend adequate time here.
• Invite your team. Strategy is a team sport. Use the invitation system to bring key people in.
• Try an example first. Click Run Example in the planning interface to see how a complete planning session looks.

Next Steps

Once you are comfortable with the basics, explore these guides:

• LEARN Phase Guide — Deep dive into situation analysis
• Organization Data Guide — How to set up comprehensive org context
• Team Collaboration Guide — Inviting members and working together
• AI Advisor Guide — Getting the most from your AI strategic partner