What to Do After Creating a Business Plan?

Most advice about business plans ends with, “And now you’re ready to grow.” Which sounds nice, until you close the business plan doc and realize you still have no idea what to do next.

You’ve finished the plan. Now what? Do you present it? Send it to investors? Wait? Or is there something else you're supposed to do first?

That in-between stage where the plan is technically done, but nothing’s actually moving, is what this article is for.

If you’ve ever asked, “What should an entrepreneur do after creating a business plan?”, this is the part no one really explains. This article is about what to do next, who to involve, and how to make sure the plan leads somewhere real.

Should I share my business plan right away?

Only if there’s a reason.

Once the business plan is finished, the next step is to think carefully about who actually needs to see it and when. Not everyone does, and definitely not all at once.

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend sending it to every investor or advisor in your network just because it’s “done.” That usually backfires. People either skim it and miss the point or ignore it completely. Either way, you don’t get the outcome you want.

If you’re sharing it for feedback, I’d suggest starting with people who’ve either built in your space or have context on your model, someone who can spot blind spots without getting hung up on unimportant things, yet. Ask specific questions so the feedback is actionable.

If you’re sharing it as part of a pitch, lead with something tighter like a 10-slide deck, a short narrative, or even a solid intro call. Most investors, especially early-stage, don’t want a complete doc before they know why they should care.

If you're preparing for that stage, here’s how to present a business plan to investors without overwhelming them.

And if your plan includes anything sensitive like pricing strategy, internal financials, or partner terms, it’s fine to keep that private until there’s a reason to share it. No serious investor or partner expects full access in round one.

There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your plan. Just be intentional about who you send it to, when you send it, and why. But how do you know if it’s any good?

How do I know if my plan is actually any good?

If you’re asking yourself, “My business plan is finished—now what?” This is the first question you should have: Is it actually useful?

Personally, I’d recommend starting with the numbers. Do they reflect how your business really runs right now? If the projections look clean but don’t align with recent performance, or worse, rely on generic benchmarks from five years ago. That’s your cue to update.

Then, take a closer look at your assumptions. Every plan has them. But can you explain where yours came from? If you’re using placeholder estimates for pricing, hiring, or acquisition costs without noting how you’ll validate them, it’s time to tighten that up. 

Next, review your business plan. Are they actually tied to action? Every goal should map to a timeline, a person, or a measurable outcome. “Grow revenue” doesn’t mean much unless it’s backed by a strategy and a plan to execute.

Finally, ask whether the plan helps you focus. Can you use it to make a call, whether it’s about hiring, budgeting, or product priorities, without second-guessing everything? 

If it helps you decide, it’s doing the job. If it adds more uncertainty, it’s not built for real use yet.

You don’t need to rewrite the whole thing to fix this. Just make sure it reflects how the business operates, not how you hoped it might. That’s what makes a plan worth using and worth sharing.

But most plans fail because no one knows where to start. So, let’s make that part easy.

What are the first real steps I should take?

Once your business plan is finished, it’s tempting to jump straight into pitching, building, or pushing things live. And I get that. After all that writing, it feels like something should happen right away.

But in my experience, this is precisely where a lot of plans start to lose momentum. So before you dive into the next thing, here’s what I’d suggest you do first:

1. Review the plan like you weren’t the one who wrote it

Give yourself a day or two, then come back to the plan with a fresh eye. Personally, I always spot at least one section that doesn’t match how things have evolved—an outdated assumption, a goal that’s now irrelevant, or a timeline that’s clearly too ambitious.

The plan might be finished, but the business probably kept moving while you were writing. Adjust accordingly or schedule a business plan review meeting if it helps to walk through it with someone else.

2. Turn strategy into short-term action

If the next few weeks still feel vague, the plan hasn’t been translated into work yet. Choose three to five things you can actually complete in 30 days. 

I’m not talking about visionary goals like “improve operations.” I mean clear, useful moves like cleaning up your sales pipeline, reviewing top costs, or mapping your onboarding flow. Small wins are more important than high-level phrasing at this stage.

3. Assign ownership (even if it’s all you right now)

Even if you’re working solo, assign ownership to everything on your list. Personally, I block my calendar with time for each “hat” I’m wearing, so marketing doesn’t always lose to admin. If there’s a team, make it clear who owns what and check that it’s doable. Ownership gives ideas a shot at execution.

4. Talk to the right people early

Start with one or two people you trust, someone who knows your industry, your customers, or just knows how to ask tough questions without overcomplicating everything. 

I usually suggest framing the conversation around what you’re trying to stress-test. That alone improves the quality of what you get back.

5. Set a check-in point before you forget it exists

Pick a date on the calendar, two or four weeks out, to sit down and look at the plan again. Not to rewrite it, just to see what actually moved. I’ve learned that if you don’t schedule this upfront, it almost never happens. 

6. Make a working version you’ll actually use

Keep the full version clean and formal for investors, but build a version for yourself, too, even if it’s just a Google Doc with the next steps, a Notion board, or a one-pager. 

If the plan takes effort to reference, it’ll get ignored. I’ve done that. Everyone has. A usable plan doesn’t need to be pretty. It just needs to be open. 

None of these steps takes days. But skipping them usually costs weeks. The goal is to make sure your plan works when it’s supposed to: when things start moving.

Who should I be talking to now?

Once the plan’s in place and you’ve started moving, the next thing to figure out is who actually needs to be part of the next steps and how to approach those conversations without overexplaining or oversharing.

You don’t need to loop in everyone. You just need to talk to the right people, share the right version of your plan, and make it easy for them to engage.

Here’s how I’d approach each and what they usually look for.

Mentors and advisors

Personally, this is always where I start. A mentor, advisor, or founder just a little ahead of you can help you spot what’s missing before anyone else does. Ask them focused questions like, “Here’s what I’m solving for. Am I thinking about this the right way?”

They’ll tell you what’s unclear, what you’ve skipped, and where you’re overcomplicating things. And that’s exactly what you need at this stage.

Potential partners

If you’re exploring partnerships, whether distribution, operations, or tech, the most important thing is showing you’ve already thought.

Walk in with a clear point of connection: “Here’s where I see this fitting into our roadmap. Does that make sense from your side?” Partnerships move faster when people see you’ve already considered the mutual upside.

Investors (early-stage or otherwise)

For investors, especially at the early stage, the expectations are different. Though they won’t expect a complete plan right away, they will try to look for a signal like a clear problem, a sharp solution, early traction, or simply strong reasoning behind your next few moves.

Lenders and grant programs

The process is more formal but predictable if you’re talking to lenders or grant providers. They will look for consistency in your financials, ownership structure, and repayment plan. So, your plan has to be tight. The more straightforward it is to follow, the faster those conversations move.

If you’re exploring this path, consider reviewing funding options before you start the outreach.

Once you start executing, parts of your plan will get tested fast. The real skill is knowing which changes deserve an update and which don’t.

Should I change my plan if things shift early on?

Yes, if something meaningful changes and it affects your direction, update the plan. But don’t treat every wobble as a reason to rewrite the whole thing.

One slow sales day or one piece of feedback doesn’t mean your plan’s broken. Let things run long enough to spot real patterns. The best time to revise is when you're seeing consistent signals. When that happens, don’t be afraid to adjust the specific parts that no longer hold up.

I’ve seen founders treat edits like failures. Personally, I’d say the opposite. A good plan is meant to change,  just not every time someone asks a hard question. If it’s helping you make decisions, great. If not, fix the parts that are slowing you down, and keep going.

Conclusion

A well-written plan won’t do much if it doesn’t show up in how you build, hire, budget, or shift priorities. That’s the gap a lot of founders run into: The plan gets written, then quietly pushed aside once things get moving.

The smarter approach is to keep it close, something you check, update, and use to filter what deserves your attention. PlanGrowLab was built for that exact phase. It helps you move from writing a plan to using it without turning it into another time-consuming process. Planning is useful, but only if it stays part of the work.