Comprehensive Study that Goes Beyond the Business Plan: Strategic Planning as the Engine of Early-Stage Venture Growth

Author(s)	Ms. Kashvi Arora
Country	India
Abstract	The aim of this study was to examine how strategic planning contributes to the growth of early-stage ventures when approached as a dynamic and adaptive process. While large corporations often rely on fixed five-year strategies, startups face uncertainty, limited resources, and fast-changing environments where such rigid models are less effective. The findings indicate that strategic planning in startups is best understood as a continuous process of hypothesis testing, learning, and adaptation. Plans serve as flexible frameworks that help founders set priorities, allocate scarce resources, and signal legitimacy to stakeholders, while still leaving space for experimentation. From the investor perspective, adaptability and evidence of learning were more valuable than precise projections. For policymakers and accelerators, the results highlight the importance of training programs that encourage dynamic planning models over static forecasting. In conclusion, this study shows that adaptive, hypothesis-driven planning strengthens entrepreneurial survival and growth by combining direction with flexibility in uncertain environments
Keywords	strategic planning, venture, founders, entrepeneurship
Field	Business Administration
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-11-16
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.56712

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research