By Lachlan Grant, CEO of Vital Addition

Small businesses are the engine room of the Australian economy. They’re where ideas are tested, risks are taken, and jobs are created.

But according to our recent survey of business leaders and founders, many businesses are growing without a plan.

According to the results of our outreach:

• Only 54% of respondents said they review their business strategy regularly.
• Of that group, just 42% conduct quarterly reviews.

The rest are either checking in ‘as needed’ or not at all; and while that may seem like a minor operational choice, it’s a blind spot that carries real consequences.

When conditions shift fast (as they have over the past few years) that kind of approach leaves businesses on the back foot. A passive plan doesn’t just cost opportunities, it leads to missed signals, slower pivots, and weaker decisions. Leaders and teams end up reacting to problems, instead of steering toward opportunities.

Strategic planning, that is real, grounded and honest, is how you line up your internal capacity with your external goals. Quarterly planning can give you that edge; you can see what’s working, adapt quickly and act with more confidents

Without that discipline, businesses risk chasing growth without the structure to support it. If your internal systems can’t keep up, your business will start to feel the strain in all the wrong places. And that includes cash flow forecasting, financial oversight, and strategic reviews.

‘As needed’ isn’t a plan

Founders are busy, lean teams are stretched, and when the cash is flowing, it’s tempting to push business planning down the list. But there’s a difference between being agile and being unstructured. And if we are being honest, ‘as needed’ usually means “after something goes wrong.”

Without regular check-ins, small issues grow unnoticed, and things can get costly. A new competitor gains ground, a margin slowly erodes, staff gets burned out, or a tech system no longer fits. By the time these things show up clearly, the options to respond are fewer.

Businesses that commit to structured, quarterly planning are often the ones that identify opportunity early. They spot shifts in customer behaviour. They course-correct before a budget blowout. They have enough lead time to make meaningful changes without disrupting operations.

In that sense, strategy isn’t just a leadership tool – it’s a practical advantage.

Finance can’t lead if it’s running to keep up

Despite ambitious expansion plans, the survey clearly identified that only 41.7% of respondents plan to grow their finance team in the next 12 months. They expect more from their finance function, but aren’t resourcing it properly.

The risk? Disconnect puts pressure on internal teams to deliver deeper insight, faster forecasting, and tighter controls without the time or headcount to do it well. Finance, then becomes reactive too; instead of enabling strategy, it’s stuck chasing the numbers.

One solution is not just more people, but better systems and discipline. A consistent strategy review rhythm helps finance leaders focus on the right metrics. It creates alignment between commercial goals and financial reality. And it encourages forward-looking analysis, not just historical reporting.

What gets measured, gets managed

At Vital Addition, we recommend businesses build a quarterly strategy review into their operating rhythm. It doesn’t have to be complex, but it should cover a few core areas:

• Revisit your goals. Are your strategic objectives still relevant? What’s changed in the market, or in your own operations, that might shift your focus? Check that your current goals reflect reality, not just what you set last quarter.
• Review financial performance. How did you perform financially compared to your targets? Are you on track against your revenue, margin and cash flow targets? Which areas are underperforming? Focus on the 2–3 key numbers that give you the clearest view of whether your plan is working.
• Assess operational health. Where are the pressure points across service, delivery or internal systems? Are your people and processes keeping up with expectations? Use both performance data and on-the-ground feedback to spot early cracks.
• Look for risk and opportunity. What’s changed in your competitive or regulatory environment? Are there risks building up unnoticed, or opportunities you’ve been too slow to act on?
• Set the next priorities. What needs to shift before the next quarter? Narrow in on 2–3 clear actions, assign responsibility, and make sure the right resources are in place to follow through.

These check-ins aren’t about reporting for the sake of it. They’re about sharpening focus, correcting course early, and keeping the business aligned.

Ambition isn’t enough

Too often, we see businesses with strong products, great people, and a clear vision fall short, because they weren’t watching the right indicators. Growth takes more than ambition. It takes structure, financial clarity, and a team that knows how to turn numbers into action.

For any business looking to grow in 2025 and beyond, that starts with shifting strategy from a once-a-year exercise to a regular, purposeful discipline. Systems enable businesses to plan with more confidence, manage risk with clarity and be proactive, rather than reactive.

The cost of waiting isn’t just missed opportunity, it’s momentum you might not get back.