If you’ve been in business for more than five minutes, you’ve heard some version of this sentence: You need a plan.

And yes—planning matters. Not because it’s trendy, or because every guru on the internet says so, but because it gives you direction, clarity, and confidence. When you know where you’re going and how you’ll measure progress, every decision gets easier. Marketing becomes intentional instead of reactive. Sales efforts become targeted instead of scattered. Your brand becomes something you build—not something that just happens to you.

But here’s the part most people miss (or use as an excuse to avoid!) - planning doesn’t have to be complicated!

You don’t need a color-coded binder, a five-hour offsite, or a consultant with a laser pointer (unless you want one, call me! LOL). Sometimes the most effective plans are the simplest:

• A one-page outline of priorities
• A spreadsheet with quarterly goals
• A Word doc you update every Friday
• A wall of sticky notes
• A quick SWOT analysis
• A short reflection on what worked, what didn’t, and what you want next

Planning is less about the format and more about the habit. The act of pausing long enough to think, reflect, and decide—that’s the magic. That’s where you start working smarter instead of harder.

And since we’re in planning season, I’m sharing my Marketing Reset Workbook. I originally created it for a year-end planning workshop, but didn’t have time to pull it off, so I’m sharing it with you guys! It includes prompts, questions, and perspective shifts that will help you take a clear look at what worked this year—and what you want to change in 2026.

If you’re a planning-type person (or even plan-curious), it’s definitely worth a peek. You can download it below. It’s free.

Marketing Reset Workbook

Now here’s where I’d love your help:

How do you plan?

• Do you map everything out in a spreadsheet?
• Keep a running Word doc?
• Host an offsite with your team?
• Use a goal-setting template?
• Or wing it—with surprising success?

Click here to take the quick survey:

https://www.brandkramp.com/how-do-you-plan

Here’s to planning with clarity, confidence, and maybe even a little bit of fun!

Stay curious friends!