No Plan, No Problem? — Not Quite

For the past few years, entrepreneurship has had a bit of a rebellious streak, with the main advice being don’t overthink it, don’t overplan it. 📆

Somewhere along the way, “have a business plan” got replaced with a bit of YOLO — jump in, figure it out later, move fast and break things.

Of course, no argument from us that there’s something absolutely exciting about that kinda energy. Unfortunately, what feels like freedom at first can turn into chaos real fast. 😬

To be fair, that mindset actually did something good. It got people moving and it made entrepreneurship appear accessible to anyone.

But now, a few years into this experiment, and things are starting to look a little messy.

Founders are moving faster than ever, but they’re also feeling more lost. Growth may be happening, but without a clear sense of whether it’s actually the right kind of growth

It wasn’t that long ago that writing a business plan was practically a rite of passage. You simply didn’t start a business without one.

It was structured, detailed, and honestly, kinda annoying, boring and often painfully long. In fact, there were entire MBA programs revolving around it. One founder even described it as the “final exam” of business education. 🎓

But somewhere along the way, the business plan got… a reputation problem.

These documents became bloated, overly polished, and mostly written to impress investors rather than actually guide the business.

Founders spent weeks creating something they’d never look at again. And if the plan was useless, why not skip it altogether?

And so was born the “just start” era.

Again, to be fair, the intention wasn’t wrong as overthinking can kill momentum. But by not thinking enough, founders stopped thinking at all — at least about which direction they’re driving.

Recall a time when you took a vacation with a full itinerary vs a time when you went for a spontaneous getaway. Both are fun, sure but which one felt better? On which trip did you get to experience more? ✈️

It’s the same when it comes to business.

Without a plan (even a simple one) everything starts to feel urgent. Every opportunity is a “must do now” and every trend feels like something you absolutely HAVE to jump on.

And what happens when that happens? Founders end up chasing… well, everything. The good and the bad, often unable to tell the difference.

Over time, that leads to and decisions and potentially devastating consequences.

Then comes the illusion of progress. Money might be coming in, your calendar is packed, things feel busy — but are you actually moving forward? Or just moving?

This maybe the sneakiest trap of all — confusing movement with momentum. Which, unfortunately can be hard to tell if you’re going in the right direction without a map.

Short answer? Yes, but not necessary the way you’re picturing it.

The modern business plan isn’t a 40-page document collecting dust anymore. It can be something much simpler — even be a few scribbles on a napkin.

As long as you’re writing things down and forcing yourself to answer a few key questions, you’re already ahead of most. Because that’s the part people tend to avoid.

Ask yourself this:

Understand that the purpose of the plan is not to shove yourself into a concrete box or to predict the future (good luck with that part anyway, lol) but to establish your stance, your position and wake up every day with a clear head.

Interestingly, the founders who resist planning the most are often the most capable ones. They’re fast, instinctive, confident. They know they can figure things out. And sure, they usually can… until things get complicated. At which point, no genius brain can help in that situation.

The point of this piece is that this isn’t about slowing down or overthinking every move, but to stop confusing chaotic trends with strategy.

The “just start” mindset works beautifully for getting off the ground, but it’s not enough to actually scale and progress forward. Because without a plan, you’re not really building a business, you’re just playing house.