If you’re still telling yourself, “I’ll get serious about my business next quarter… or maybe next year,” stop. (Procrastination kills!)

Because that mindset is exactly what’s keeping you stuck.

You don’t need a calendar to tell you when to take action.

You don’t need January 1st to write your vision down.

You just need now.

This is the moment most business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs fall into one of two camps:

• They’re reacting to the chaos.
• Or they’re building with purpose.

And if you’re reading this, I’m guessing you want to be in the second group.

So let me be real with you:

If you haven’t written down a clear plan for your business yet, this is your wake-up call.

I’m not saying this from a soapbox, I’m saying it because I’m doing it myself.

After some major changes in my career this year, I sat down and rebuilt my own business plan from scratch.

And I was reminded of something powerful:

Clarity creates momentum.‍

The Problem with “Someday” Thinking

I talk to business owners and professionals all the time who say:

“I’ve got a great idea, I just need to get it organized.”\

“I want to start something, I just don’t know where to begin.”

“I need to revisit my plan, I’ve just been too busy.”

Translation: I’ve been putting it off.

And I get it. Life is full. Business is chaotic. But no one’s going to carve out the time for you.

You have to take it.

So whether you're just starting out, pivoting, or trying to scale, you need to stop winging it and start writing it.

How I Build My Business Plans (and How You Can Too)

Forget the textbook format.

I don’t care what MBA framework you learned if you haven’t actually built anything. What I’m about to give you is practical, real, and built for execution.

Here are the 13 components I include in every business plan I create or advise on:

1. Overview

‍What’s your elevator pitch? Two sentences or less.

2. Mission‍

What are you here to do?

3. Vision‍

Where are you going if it all works?

4. Purpose‍

Why does this matter to you?

5. Core Values

‍What do you stand for, and live out daily?

6. What You Need to Start‍

Be honest. Capital, people, time, resources, lay it out.

7. Marketing Plan‍

How will people hear about what you do?

8. Operational Plan‍

What’s your daily/weekly system to deliver value?

9. Startup Budget‍

What does it cost to launch and survive month one?

10. Year One Forecast‍

What are you projecting, and why?

11. Financial Plan‍

When money comes in, where does it go?

12. ROI Plan‍

What’s the return, on time, effort, and capital?

13. Future Opportunities‍

Where could this go in the next 24–36 months?

Your Plan Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect, It Just Needs to Exist

Most people never build anything because they think their plan has to be polished before it’s powerful.

That’s a lie.

Some of the best businesses I’ve launched were mapped out on a yellow notepad at midnight with more passion than precision. And it worked.

Why?

Because the act of writing down a plan forces clarity.

Clarity leads to action.

Action leads to traction.

And traction leads to growth.

It’s Not Too Late. It’s Right on Time.

You didn’t miss your window.

But you are wasting time if you’re still making excuses.

If you’ve been stuck, drifting, or just reacting to your business instead of leading it, this is the reset.

Write the plan.

Define the vision.

Decide what happens next.

Let’s go.

SML

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