Reality does not read the plan

A plan is useful because it forces us to think. It becomes dangerous when we start treating it as a promise from reality.

Building a company means acting before the evidence is complete. Customers surprise you. Costs arrive from the wrong direction. A feature you considered secondary becomes the reason people care.

The plan should create direction without creating blindness.

Good founders are committed to the problem and flexible about the path. They can hold a strong view while still noticing when the world is telling them something uncomfortable.

Conviction matters. So does the ability to change your mind before the market changes it for you.