Take the guesswork out of your business plan.
With just 6 weeks left in 2025, many of us have started mapping out our business goals and milestone targets for 2026…. But from what I’m hearing from business owners, this year may feel a little different.
Maybe it’s what David Coletto (from Abacus Data) calls precarity, currently the defining mindset across Canada. Precarity means Canadians are feeling vulnerable and uncertain about the future, thanks to a combination of financial pressures at home, tariffs, insecurity due to the rise of AI, and other factors.
Whatever the cause, I’m hearing from more business owners who are reluctant to plan for 2026. “In uncertain times,” they’re saying, “we can’t possibly predict what’s going to happen – so what’s the point of planning?”
“We put a lot of time and effort into our plan last year, and it was quickly forgotten.”
Planning Pitfalls
If I were setting out to make a bad plan, one that wasted my time and energy and didn’t help me grow my business, here’s what I’d do:
Plan too far ahead. Try to decide in advance what will be on my daily To Do list 9 months from now. In the process, get hopelessly bogged down in details that I can’t possibly make decisions about today.
Be a control freak. Map out day-to-day tasks for everyone around me, rather than communicating the outcomes and allowing them to take ownership for achieving them.
Pull numbers out of thin air. Next year we’re going to grow revenue by 40%. OK, but how? Targets are one thing, but writing down nice round numbers without a strategy and action plan to achieve them is dreaming, not planning.
Try to guess what will happen. None of us can predict the future. Your plan should help you decide what to work on each day. It should give you confidence to navigate uncertainty, not back you into a corner when your predictions don’t come true.
Which of those pitfalls are you most likely to fall into?
Now, if I were setting out to make a plan that actually helped me make good decisions quickly, I’d focus on preparing myself and my business for the year ahead, to have the best chance of staying on course.
Instead of Predicting, Focus on Preparing
Instead of documenting a play-by-play fantasy about the year ahead, I encourage my clients to put real thought into the results they care most about in the long run and then focus on mapping out the first few steps.
Every quarter, we get together and reset, so the plan itself is a living document.
Having a destination in mind and a 90-day action plan in your hands will help you rise to meet whatever 2026 is going to throw your way.
The key to a great plan is focusing on preparation rather than guesswork; being ready for whatever happens rather than pretending you can know in advance what will take place.
Preparing for Success
Start by thinking carefully… What do you want to happen by the end of the year? If you don’t know your destination, the odds are good that you’ll fall into reactive mode instead of steering with intention.
What are the few things, that if you achieved them by December 2026, would give you confidence your business was on the right track for the future?
And what big moves can you start working on this year, that will help you win the best clients and employees in 3-5 years?
Preparing for Setbacks
What challenges or roadblocks are you likely to face, and how can you mitigate that risk?
What steps can you take to increase the resilience of your finances, your team, your clients, and your supply chain?
This Week’s Takeaway
An uncertain outlook isn’t an excuse for skipping your planning day.
Even in the best years, you’ve never been able to predict the future – so don’t let that stop you now. Failure to plan doesn’t lead to agility. It ends with you stuck in reactive mode, spinning in circles rather than moving ahead.
In 2026, like every year, getting clear on your destination and building out your action plan will help you make better decisions and grow faster.
If you want to learn how to make a plan that actually works for you, join us at GrowthCLUB on Dec 12. You’ll work with a team of smart business owners and get a jump on the year ahead.
Ready For Your Most Successful Quarter Ever?
Next Up: GrowthCLUB!
At GrowthCLUB, I’ll help you build a plan you can actually follow. You’ll leave with more energy, more clarity, and a newfound sense of confidence in your ability to take on the next quarter, and year.
Venue: In-person at The Living Arts Center in Mississauga
Time: 9:30am – 4:00pm, December 12th
Registration: $345 per person
Featuring: Networking, education, 2026 business planning resources, and a buffet lunch
If you’re tired of running in circles, if you’re overwhelmed by all the things you “should” be doing, or if you’re just ready to bring more focus and purpose into your business in 2026 – GrowthCLUB is the place for you!
Follow the link to register: caitlinblundell.actioncoach.com/growthclub
Uncommon Service: By Frances Frei, Anne Morriss
This book will challenge what “excellence” really means for your customers. See how customer service can be a strategic advantage when it’s intentionally built into every part of your business model. It’s a refreshingly practical framework for anyone who wants to compete not by doing more, but by serving smarter.
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