The business plan was before. In a volatile world such as ours, why do we keep trying to predict what can’t be predicted? The new trend is adaptation. But can we really adapt ourselves without predicting? 

“Could you please send me your business plan?” The question has become a ritual for any entrepreneur seeking funding. Banks, investors, incubators — nearly all repeat it like a mantra. Yet at a time when uncertainty appears to be the only constant, this expectation is increasingly being challenged.

Rethinking the Business Plan

Skepticism has gradually emerged. It stems from field experience, conversations among entrepreneurs, and the rise of so-called “agile” approaches that prioritize experimentation, continuous adjustment, and strategy developed along the way. For some founders, drafting a detailed three- or five-year business plan can feel almost fictional. How can anyone reliably forecast markets, revenues, or growth trajectories when economic, technological, and geopolitical conditions shift at such speed?

Beneath these questions lies a deeper issue: is entrepreneurship about planning or adapting? And perhaps more importantly, can the two still coexist?

While the business plan is sometimes portrayed as the entrepreneur’s adversary, strategic thinking itself remains indispensable. Launching a venture without direction, objectives, or structured reflection often means moving forward blindly. The real debate, therefore, is not about whether to think strategically, but about how that thinking should be expressed.

Far from being merely a document designed to satisfy financiers, the business plan is fundamentally a tool for clarity. It forces founders to articulate their business model, clarify their value proposition, identify key resources, and assess the economic viability of their activity. In this respect, it serves as a mirror — revealing inconsistencies, blind spots, and, equally, the strengths of the project.

In an uncertain environment, this discipline of reflection becomes even more critical. The goal is no longer to predict the future with precision, but to frame a vision, formulate hypotheses, and create the means to test them. The business plan thus shifts from being a fixed commitment to becoming a dynamic framework.

This discussion also connects to a major contemporary challenge: entrepreneurship education. In business schools and incubators, the business plan remains a cornerstone pedagogical tool. The questions it raises and the responses required in developing it reflect both the depth of the academic content and the effectiveness of learning methods in translating theory into practice.

Rather than opposing planning and agility, the conversation invites us to reconsider the purpose of the business plan — not as an end in itself, but as a tool serving strategic thinking, learning, and ultimately, long-term business sustainability.

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To complement this op-ed, I suggest three articles:

The first reminds us that, as there is no such thing as a universal business plan, the same prevails for a business model. A business model is a tool that should be aligned with strategic choices.

First in his category in the most recent Vendée Globe, skipper Benjamin Ferré (SKEMA 2015) had a clear course and strategy, yet the ocean does not allow perfect anticipation: for 84 days, he continuously adapted to uncertainty.

Beyond the business plan itself, entrepreneurship education plays a key role in strengthening entrepreneurs’ confidence. Our research shows that recreating a quasi-parental support environment helps reinforce entrepreneurs’ belief in their own abilities.

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