Part of Your Business Plan Needs to Involve Drastically Changing It

Who doesn’t love a good plan? The idea of well-thought-out strategy — a step-Not so fast. 

Entrepreneurship 101 requires the creation of a business plan, yes. As the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) notes in a 2018 article, “You’ll use [it] like a GPS for how to structure, run, and grow your new business.” But a strategically structured roadmap — including start-up costs and material, marketing and administrative expenses, as well as expected outcomes and goals — is just the beginning. 

Related: How to Write a Business Plan

As COVID-19 amply taught us, any plan can be derailed at the blink of an eye…or a cough. It’s safe to say that not a person on the planet was unaffected Obviously, the overall destination on every business pathway is success and income, yet particulars will change based upon factors both anticipated, and not. While a need for broad goals is pivotal, we can’t insist on things always going according to expectation. (And, if we’re being honest, how often does that happen, anyway?) If we refuse to allow for the evolution of variables, a rigid plan can quickly lead down a path surrounded Related: Why Your Business Needs to Be More Flexible Than Ever

Clearly, this doesn’t mean a plan should read, “We’re going to try this, and just see what happens.” Specifics are important, and if one goal is searching for funding, essential. But the inclusion of evolution needs to be part of the entrepreneurial mindset carried throughout any professional journey, and the ability to adjust and evolve — including knowing when to let go of expected outcomes — will serve an entrepreneur well as a business grows and changes, not least by building flexibility and creativity.