"When There's No Plan A"

I've been talking to Jonathan Moules, Enterprise Editor at The Financial Times for a while about #Unplan, putting him in touch with entrepreneurs I know who embrace the 'unplan your business' philosophy. So I'm delighted to see the results of that in an article in today's FT "When There's No Plan A" featuring my #unplan buddies Gary Vaynerchuk, David Hieatt and Raj Dey. You can read the article online at FT.com here (registration applies). You can also click to view a scan of the article below (this content is copyright The Financial Times). Finally, a big shout out to my #Unplan collaborator David Sloly who was not mentioned in the article; I'd like to point out that 'Unplan Your Business' is a collaborative project with David and that he is the co-author of our free guide, that you can grab here.

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Gary Vaynerchuk: Being Willing To Adapt And Change

Gary Vaynerchuk is a great advocate for being reactionary in business; willing and able to adapt and change. Here’s his take on #Unplan from the pages of his recent book ‘Crush It! Why Now Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion’:


“Nothing in life ever goes exactly the way you think it will, and that goes for all of your carefully planned entrepreneurial dreams and goals…. You’d be surprised at how many entrepreneurs aren’t good at adjusting to changing environments, and it’s a major reason why so many businesses don’t achieve their full potential”.

John Kay: Oblique Approaches Are Most Effective In Difficult Terrain

Financial Times columnist and economist John Kay’s new book ‘Obliquity’ argues that most goals are best achieved through an indirect, rather than direct route i.e. the best route from A to B is almost never a straight line. This resonates with my experience in business, where randomness and serendipity are often more significant contributors than detailed plans in reaching goals. John says:


“Strange as it may seem, overcoming geographic obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting global business targets are the type of goals often best achieved when pursued indirectly. This is the idea of Obliquity. Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows us that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in difficult terrain”.