Stop Waiting for January: Why Your 2026 Growth Plan Must Start Now

"Let's Wait Until Next Year"

I've had the same conversation five times in the past two weeks.

Different industries. Different size businesses. But eerily similar situations:

• 2025 has been tough

• Profits are down

• Revenue is declining

• Budgets are tight

• The team is exhausted

Yet, when I look at their 2026 forecast, it shows growth. Sometimes significant growth.

So I ask the obvious question: "How are you going to achieve that growth?"

The response is usually some version of:

• "We'll figure it out in January"

• "Things always pick up in the new year"

• "We're going to focus on it after the holidays"

• "Let's wait until next year to start"

Here's the problem with that thinking: it guarantees failure.

The Magical Thinking Trap

Let me be blunt about something that needs to be said:

Hoping for a better year doesn't make it happen.

I see this pattern constantly. Businesses have a difficult year, then create a budget for next year that assumes things will magically improve.

Revenue will grow (somehow).
Margins will expand (mysteriously).
Efficiency will increase (eventually).
New customers will appear (fingers crossed).

But when you dig into the details, there's no actual plan for how any of this will happen.

It's not strategic planning. It's wishful thinking with spreadsheets.

And wishful thinking doesn't pay salaries, cover costs, or deliver growth.

Why Waiting Until January Is a Mistake

"Let's wait until next year to start" feels reasonable. The team is tired. Budgets are depleted. Everyone needs a break. Why not reset fresh in January?

Here's why:

1. You Lose 6-8 Weeks of Momentum

December you do nothing for next year, by the time everyone's back and focused, it's mid-to-late January. Maybe even early February.

That's 6-8 weeks where nothing happens. Meanwhile, your 2026 forecast assumes growth starts January 1st.

You're already behind before the year even begins.

2. You're Starting From a Standstill

Momentum matters in business. Starting from zero is hard. Starting with momentum is exponentially easier.

The businesses that will hit their 2026 targets aren't waiting for January. They're building momentum now:

• Testing new approaches in November/December

• Refining messaging before the new year rush

• Building systems that will scale in Q1

• Training teams on new processes

• Establishing relationships with new partners

When January arrives, they're not starting. They're accelerating.

3. Your Competitors Are Already Moving

While you're waiting for January, your competitors are working.

They're fixing inefficiencies now. They're reaching out to prospects now. They're implementing improvements now.

By the time you start in January, they're already ahead. Catching up is harder than staying ahead.

4. Q1 Targets Become Impossible

Most businesses front load their annual targets into Q1. "Start the year strong" and all that.

But if you haven't done any groundwork, Q1 becomes a scramble. You're trying to build the foundation while also delivering results.

It's like trying to plant a garden and harvest it in the same week. It doesn't work.

5. The Problems Don't Go Away

Whatever caused 2025 to be tough, whether it's market conditions, operational inefficiencies, competitive pressure, or internal challenges, those problems don't magically disappear on January 1st.

If you don't address them now, they'll be waiting for you in the new year. Except now you're under pressure to deliver growth while dealing with the same old problems.

The Reality Check You Need

If your business struggled in 2025, ask yourself honestly:

What will be different in 2026?

Not "what do you hope will be different" but "what will you actively make different"?

If you can't answer that specifically, your growth forecast is fiction.

Let me give you some hard truths:

→ The market won't suddenly get easier
→ Customers won't magically appear
→ Competitors won't slow down
→ Your operational problems won't fix themselves
→ Economic conditions won't shift in your favour just because the calendar changed

If 2025 was tough, 2026 will be tougher unless you do something fundamentally different.

And "something different" doesn't start on January 1st. It starts now.

What "Starting Now" Actually Looks Like

1. Validating Their Budget Against Reality

Not just "we need to grow 15%" but:

• Where specifically will that growth come from?

• What has to happen for that to be achievable?

• What are the leading indicators we need to see?

• What obstacles will we face and how will we overcome them?

• Do we have the capacity/capability to deliver this?

2. Identifying Quick Wins Before Year End

What can you fix, improve, or implement in the next 6 weeks that will create momentum into 2026?

Maybe it's:

• Automating one manual process

• Reaching out to dormant customers

• Fixing your website messaging

• Testing a new lead generation approach

• Training the team on a new system

• Renegotiating a costly supplier contract

Small wins in November and December create confidence and momentum for January.

3. Building Systems That Will Scale

If your 2026 forecast shows 20% growth, do you have systems that can handle 20% more volume?

If the answer is no, you need to build those systems now, not in the middle of Q1 when you're drowning in demand.

Document processes. Automate repetitive work. Train backup people. Fix bottlenecks.

Boring? Yes. Essential? Absolutely.

4. Testing and Refining

Want to try a new marketing approach in 2026? Test it now, in November and December, when the stakes are lower.

Want to change your sales process? Pilot it now and refine before January.

Want to roll out new technology? Get it working now so it's smooth in Q1.

5. Having Honest Conversations

Gather your leadership team. Put the 2026 forecast on the table.

Ask the hard questions:

• Do we actually believe this is achievable?

• What has to change for this to happen?

• Are we willing to make those changes?

• What are we going to stop doing to create capacity for this?

• What support do we need?

Better to have these conversations in November than in March when you're already off track.

A Recent Example

Last week, I spoke with a manufacturing business. Revenue down 18% this year. Their 2026 budget forecast? Up 25%.

"How will you achieve that?" I asked.

"Well, the market should improve..."
"We're hoping to land some bigger contracts..."
"Our new product should gain traction..."

All hopeful. None certain. No concrete plan.

We spent 90 minutes digging into reality:

• Their biggest customers were cutting orders, unlikely to reverse

• Their sales process was broken, 45% of leads never got followed up

• They were spending £8k/month on marketing that generated zero results

• Their production capacity was maxed out, they couldn't actually handle 25% growth

• Their pricing hadn't changed in 3 years despite rising costs

The 25% growth forecast wasn't just optimistic. It was impossible given their current reality.

But here's the important part: identifying those problems in November gives them time to fix them.

We're now working on:

• Overhauling their sales process

• Cutting wasteful marketing spend and redirecting to what works

• Increasing production capacity with automation

• Implementing pricing changes before year end

• Building a realistic growth plan based on actual capabilities

Will they hit 25% growth? Probably not. But they might hit 10-12% profitable growth, which is far better than another year of decline.

That's only possible because they started in November, not January.

The ROI Question: 'We Can't Afford Help Right Now'

Here's something that frustrates me deeply.

A business will tell me: "We can't afford to bring in an advisor right now. Budgets are too tight."

Then in the same conversation, they'll show me a 2026 forecast with ambitious growth targets and no clear plan to achieve them.

Let me be direct: if you can't afford help, you definitely can't afford to fail.

Because here's the math that matters:

Scenario 1: No Advisor

• Cost: £0

• Miss your 2026 target by 20% because you had no plan

• On a £1M revenue target, that's £200k of missed revenue

• At 20% margin, that's £40k of lost profit

• True cost: £40k+

Scenario 2: Good Advisor

• Cost: £2-3k per month = £24-36k annually

• Hit your target (or get much closer) because you have a real plan

• Advisor identifies £100k+ in efficiency gains and revenue opportunities

• Impact to EBITDA: £60-100k+

• True ROI: 3-5x minimum

A good advisor shouldn't be seen as a cost. They should easily deliver impact to your EBITDA that more than pays for themselves.

If an advisor can't point to clear, measurable impact on your EBITDA within 90 days, they're not doing their job.

So when someone says "we can't afford help," what I hear is: "we're planning to struggle through this alone and hope it works out."

That's not budget consciousness. That's false economy.

The businesses that succeed don't see advisory support as an expense. They see it as leverage, a way to achieve in 3 months what would take 12 months alone (if they figure it out at all).

What "Good Advisory" Actually Looks Like

Not all advisors deliver ROI. Let's be honest about that.

If you're paying for:

• Strategy documents that sit on shelves

• Monthly meetings with no accountability

• Generic advice that doesn't fit your business

• Consultants who disappear after the presentation

Then yes, that's cost with no return. Don't do that.

But good advisory, the kind that actually works, looks different:

Week 1-2:

• Identify 3-5 high-impact opportunities

• Quick wins that can be implemented immediately

• Clear measurement of current state

Week 3-4:

• Implement first changes

• See early results

• Refine based on reality

Month 2-3:

• Bigger transformations underway

• Measurable impact to revenue or costs

• Advisory fee paying for itself

Month 4+:

• Systems working without constant intervention

• Team capable and confident

• Sustained improvement to EBITDA

This is what you should expect. Anything less isn't worth paying for.

The Real Question

So the question isn't "can we afford help?"

The question is: "Can we afford to miss our 2026 targets because we tried to do everything ourselves?"

If your 2026 forecast shows ambitious growth, you need to deliver on it. The cost of missing that target is far higher than the investment in making it happen.

And if you're going to invest in advisory support, do it now, not in March when you're already behind.

Because every day you wait is a day your competitors are moving ahead.

The Cost of Waiting

Let me put this in concrete terms.

Imagine your 2026 target is £1.2M in revenue (£100k per month).

Scenario A: You Wait Until January

• December: £0 progress on 2026 goals

• January: Ramp-up, £20k

• February: £60k (still building)

• March: £80k

• Q1 Total: £160k (need £300k to be on track)

You're already £140k behind. Catching up means the rest of the year has to perform at 120% of plan. Stressful and unlikely.

Scenario B: You Start Now

• December: Test approaches, build systems, £30k progress

• January: Launch with momentum, £70k

• February: £90k (systems working)

• March: £100k (on target)

• Q1 Total: £290k (nearly on track)

You start the year with confidence, momentum, and systems that work. The rest of the year is achievable instead of a desperate scramble.

The difference? Starting now instead of January.

Your Action Plan for the Next 6 Weeks

If you're serious about 2026 growth, here's what to do right now:

This Week:

• Print out your 2026 forecast

• Highlight the growth assumptions

• For each one, write down: "How specifically will this happen?"

• Be brutally honest about what's realistic vs. wishful

Next Week:

• Gather your leadership team

• Review the forecast together

• Identify the 3 biggest obstacles to achieving it

• Assign ownership for addressing each obstacle

Weeks 3-4 (Early December):

• Identify 2-3 quick wins you can achieve before year end

• Start implementation immediately

• Test any new approaches you're planning for 2026

Weeks 5-6 (Mid-Late December):

• Document what worked and what didn't

• Refine your 2026 plan based on real data

• Build momentum for a strong January start

Critical: Don't wait for January.

The Bottom Line

I understand the appeal of a fresh start in January. Clean slate. New energy. New year, new opportunities.

But here's the reality: the businesses that succeed in 2026 won't be the ones who hoped for a better year. They'll be the ones who made it better.

And that work starts now.

If 2025 was tough, I'm genuinely sorry. Running a business through difficult times is hard.

But if your 2026 forecast shows growth without a real plan to achieve it, you're setting yourself up for another tough year.

Don't do that to yourself or your team.

Let's get to work now. Not January.

Every day between now and year end is an opportunity to build momentum, fix problems, test solutions, and set yourself up for actual success.

Don't waste them waiting for a magical fresh start that won't come.

Ready to turn your 2026 forecast into an actual plan?

I offer a free 30-minute consultation to help you:

• Validate your 2026 assumptions against reality

• Identify the critical gaps between your forecast and your capability

• Create a concrete action plan for the next 6 weeks

• Build real momentum into next year

• Understand the potential ROI of strategic advisory support

No sales pitch. No obligation. Just straight talk about what needs to happen.

Book now: www.hopkinsadvisory.co.uk
Email: ashley@hopkinsadvisory.co.uk
Phone: +44 7791 668 228

Because every day counts. And there are only 6 weeks left in 2025.

About Hopkins Advisory

Ashley Hopkins helps ambitious businesses stop planning and start executing. With 25+ years of transforming struggling operations into thriving businesses, including growing a renewables distributor from £10m to £130m in 2 years, Hopkins Advisory provides the straight talk and hands on support needed to turn forecasts into reality.

Connect: www.hopkinsadvisory.co.uk