Most business plans live in a drawer. A growth plan should live on the wall.
Ask ten founders for their business growth plan and most will show you a revenue target. A target isn't a plan. A plan says what happens, in what order, who owns it and how you'll know it's working. We build ours in three horizons, because the next three months need detail and the next three years need direction.
Three horizons, one plan
One market, one channel, clear targets. Planned week by week.
The channels, team and systems that make it repeatable.
Where the business will be, and what must be true to get there.
5 steps to build your growth plan
- 1
Start with why growth stalled
Before any plan, find the real constraint: market, buyer, price, channel, brand or the founder's time. Plan around it.
- 2
Set the 3-year destination
Revenue, markets, channels and the kind of company you want to run. Keep it to one page.
- 3
Work backwards to 12 months
What has to be true a year from now to stay on track? New states, partners, hires and systems.
- 4
Plan the next 90 days in detail
Pick the few things that matter most. Give each an owner, a target and a weekly check.
- 5
Review every month
Compare the plan with real numbers. Keep what works, cut what doesn't, and update the next 90 days.
WeeklyOwners check inMonthlyNumbers reviewQuarterlyPlan reset
Write the plan with your team, not for them. People follow plans they helped build. Then keep it visible: one page, on the wall, in every monthly meeting.
Mistakes that turn plans into paperwork
What stalls it
- A target with no plan behind it
- A 40-page document no one reads
- No named owners
- Reviewing once a year
What works
- Three horizons on one page
- An owner and a number for every item
- Monthly reviews
- A plan the team helped write
A target tells you where. A plan tells you how, who and when.
