The Strategy Work Most Entrepreneurs Skip (And Regret Later)

There's a sad reality in entrepreneurship: 90% of startups fail. 45% don’t survive past five years. And only about 18% of first-time founders succeed.

Why? Because most of them are flying blind, with no strategy beyond “just trying to grow and hoping it works.”

Not in my world.

In this post, I’m breaking down the actual strategy work that most entrepreneurs skip — and why it’s the reason their business feels so reactive, overwhelming, and stuck.

This is Phase 1 of my Structure to Scale™ framework. It’s the foundation I use to help agency owners clean up their backend operations and actually scale without losing their minds in the process.

Structure to Scale™ has three phases:

  1. Strategize: where we get clear on what you’re building

  2. Systemize: where we install the backend systems so the business doesn’t live in your head

  3. Optimize: where we refine what’s working so it runs profitably and sustainably

Most people skip the strategy phase.

They go straight to hiring, launching, or spinning up more offers.

But if you don’t do the strategic work first, the rest of the machine breaks.

 

Chaos Isn't a Phase. It's a Warning Sign.

Most entrepreneurs I talk to think chaos is just part of the journey. Messy operations, confusing offers, unclear direction — they chalk it up to “growing pains.”

But here’s the truth: If you don’t get strategic EARLY, the chaos doesn’t go away — it actually compounds.

  • You’ll hire too soon…for the wrong things

  • You’ll spin up more offers to chase more cash

  • You’ll say yes to opportunities that don’t align with your vision — because you don’t have a clear vision

I’ve seen this over and over again with agency owners who are in motion…but have no roadmap.

 

The Strategy Work Most Entrepreneurs Skip

When I start working with clients, I take them through a full strategy phase, even if they’ve been in business for years.

Here’s why: they’ve often built their business reactively — based on what worked, not what they actually want.

So we back up. We walk through:

  • The Entrepreneurial Journey to identify where they actually are

  • The Business ecoSYSTEM to show the 6 areas that must be aligned: leadership, finance, clients, offers, marketing, sales

  • The Big Business Vision to make sure they’re building something that supports their life (not controls it)

One of my clients was chasing a huge opportunity that looked amazing on paper —
but when we mapped it to her Big Business Vision, we realized it would’ve forced her into 60-hour weeks…which was exactly the life she was trying to escape.

When she saw the disconnect, she was able to say no to the opportunity. With zero guilt.

That’s the power of real strategy.

 

The Important Planning Piece

Once we get the vision locked in, the next question is: “How do we actually work toward that consistently?”

That’s where we implement a 12-week strategic planning cycle.

Not a fluffy vision board (I honestly hate those). And not an annual plan that collects dust.

We:

  • Reflect on what worked

  • Choose one high-leverage goal

  • Break it into milestones, actions, and KPIs

  • And track progress using what I call the Strategic Scorecard

This is what turns chaos into traction.

 

The One Strategic Shift That Changes Everything

Here’s the mindset shift that I think most entrepreneurs need:

You’re not just building a business. You’re designing a MACHINE.

A business isn’t something you grow by gut. It’s something you architect with clarity and intention.

That’s what the strategy phase is all about — not just getting organized, but getting aligned.

So that every decision — every offer, every hire, every opportunity — supports the long game.

Unfortunately, Most entrepreneurs skip strategy because they think they’re too busy.

But if you don’t make time for it now, you’ll definitely make time for the consequences later.

So, please. Do the strategic work before you try to scale, not after everything starts to break.

If you’re ready to clean up your operations and actually scale with intention, book a free strategy call.

Or grab my free Scalability Scorecard to assess where your business is out of alignment.

And comment below: What’s one part of your business you know you’ve been growing reactively?

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How to Build Business Systems and Scale Without Losing Your Mind

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Structure to Scale: The Framework Every Agency Owner Needs