We’ve all been there—waiting for that perfect plan before taking the next step. Whether it’s a startup or a new product in a large organization, the typical approach is a drawn-out process: detailed business plans, five-year forecasts, 18-month product roadmaps. The idea is that more certainty leads to less risk, right? Not quite.

The truth is, most of the information we’d need to make those plans bulletproof is simply unknowable from the start. We’re asked to write fiction, dress it up as fact, and hope it’ll carry us through a very real and unpredictable journey. At Canvas of Colors, we’ve seen how this approach leads to paralysis. Teams become obsessed with their own projections, convinced that success depends on finding a path that doesn’t yet exist. That’s not design—it’s defense.

So, what’s the alternative?

Embrace the art of dynamic strategy

The future is uncertain, and the further ahead we try to look, the blurrier it gets. So instead of building the perfect plan, let’s shift to creating a dynamic strategy. Here’s the key: it's not about having all the answers upfront. It’s about shaping your idea into something testable, something malleable.

Rather than predicting a distant future, start with the next logical step. You need to identify your assumptions, not your answers. Then quickly turn those assumptions into experiments. When we look at businesses like Airbnb or Dropbox, their early plans were far from complete. What they did have was clarity on which unknowns to tackle first. The key was building as you learned, not learning first and hoping that what you build will fit.

Think in small wins, not big hits

Big business plans often set you up for big disappointment. The longer you delay action, the more weight that plan holds. But momentum isn't born from speculation; it's born from progress. Every win builds confidence, and every failure becomes a guidepost.

We have seen this dynamic at work across a variety of projects. The teams that succeed start with a small hypothesis, act on it, and get feedback quickly. In this approach, failure is more manageable because it’s small and expected. With each test, the idea evolves organically, staying alive and relevant without the need for constant rewriting.

Iterative business design

In design thinking, iteration is everything. We don't assume the first prototype will be the endgame; it's just the beginning of a dialogue. The same goes for business models. Take the Lean Canvas—it's a useful tool, not because it's flawless, but because it's flexible. Its straightforwardness helps teams outline the current state of their idea and keep pushing ahead, adjusting as fresh insights emerge. And if your company has a writing style guide, even better—it lets creators hone in on the idea itself instead of getting bogged down in the wording.

This approach isn’t about avoiding structure altogether; it's about understanding the type of structure you need. Dynamic strategies help create frameworks that flex as you move, guiding your team with just enough certainty while keeping the door open for discovery.

Get comfortable with the mess

One of the most valuable lessons from design thinking is that the mess is part of the process. When you're working through unknowns, it won’t always feel clean or neat. And that's okay. Instead of fearing the uncertainty, embrace it as part of building something real.

Look at the world’s most innovative companies—they didn’t arrive at the finish line with a perfectly polished plan. They pivoted, adjusted, and adapted in real-time. The magic lies in accepting that the unknown isn’t a barrier; it’s fuel for iteration.

Let the future unfold through action

At the end of the day, waiting for perfect plans means waiting too long. When you’re building something new, the journey is never linear. The real progress comes when we stop chasing an idealized plan and start working with what’s in front of us—here and now.

The best way to create the future is to let it unfold through action, one decision, one test, one moment of learning at a time. Let’s ditch the fantasy of certainty and replace it with confidence in our ability to design as we go. In an uncertain world, the most resilient businesses aren’t the ones with the best forecasts—they’re the ones that evolve in real time.

And that’s a far better strategy than any business plan could ever provide.