How to Pivot Your Business When Plan A Fails

Most founders obsess over getting Plan A right. We spend weeks (or months) pitching the perfect program, refining the perfect strategy, and selling the perfect solution. But here’s the truth: Plan A rarely survives contact with reality.

We were reminded of this right before launching Batch 2, while flying back home from a trip. An executive from a firm we were collaborating with sent us a message. One of their key internal champions had dropped out just weeks before a major initiative was set to launch. Our client was discouraged, and the email ended with something that stuck with us: “We’re screwed. We have no Plan B.”

Before the plane even landed, we had three alternative plans on the table. That’s what entrepreneurs do. You stay focused on the mission. But you stay flexible on the method.

Plan A is Just the Beginning

We often anchor our energy, expectations, and optimism on "the plan." No matter how carefully you map things out though, reality will always throw in some curveballs. A big partnership falls through. Customers respond differently than expected. The strategy that looked great on paper doesn’t deliver in the real world.

Owning a business is about keeping your eyes on the goal while being ready to reroute how you get there. Changing plans isn't a sign of failure. Being able to be flexible and adaptable are necessary skills that should get sharper the longer you're in business.

Pause and take inventory of your current plan.

• What part of my plan am I holding onto that no longer serves the goal?

• Where could I create space to test something new this month?

• Who could I talk to for fresh perspective or honest feedback?

Businesses Are Messy by Design

There’s no perfect blueprint for building a business. Even with a clear mission and strategy, the day-to-day is often unpredictable. You’re constantly learning, adjusting, and solving problems you didn’t even know existed when you started. But, that’s not a sign it's going wrong—it’s proof you’re in the game.

Messiness is part of the process and most often where growth happens. It forces you to listen, adapt, and make decisions in real time. The best founders are the ones who stay curious, keep iterating, and move forward with what they’ve learned.

Remember, every failure gives you data. Every experiment, whether it works or not, helps you get closer to what actually does. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is momentum.

What It Takes to Navigate the Chaos

The traits that help founders thrive aren’t always taught in business school or listed in your bio. They’re the quieter, grittier skills that show up in how you lead through hard moments. The things that don’t always make it onto a pitch deck, but matter just as much as your numbers.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Agility – the ability to adapt to new information quickly.

• Curiosity – a willingness to ask questions and explore better ways.

• Resilience – getting back up when things don’t go as planned.

• Pattern recognition – connecting dots across data, conversations, and trends.

• Tenacity – sticking with the mission even when it’s messy.

  
  

Keep Building, Even When Plans Break

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." Mike Tyson

So expect the punch. Build for it. And know that flexibility is a superpower. You don’t need to get Plan A perfect. You just need to be the kind of builder who’s ready for whatever comes next.