Build Your 2026 Business Plan

Written By Simon Rotheram

A Practical Playbook for Small Contractors

If 2025 felt like firefighting, make 2026 the year you get ahead.

Below is a simple, no-fluff framework to set targets, align your team, and systemise delivery, so growth feels controlled, not chaotic.

1) Revenue and Profit (aim for simple, visible targets)

  • Top-line: set an annual turnover goal, then break it into monthly/quarterly targets. Track each stream (e.g. local authority, commercial, domestic, inspections) so you can see what’s hot and what’s slipping. Goal Planning 2026.docx

  • Bottom-line: pick a net margin (e.g. 10–15%), then reverse-engineer job pricing and overheads to protect it. Price discipline beats heroic last-minute savings.

2) Team & Structure (hire on timeline, not panic)

  • Map the roles you must add in 2026 (e.g. Contracts Manager, Team Leader, Ops Support) and when you’ll need them.

  • Draw a one-page org chart for December 2026—then recruit and train toward it.

3) Systems, SOPs, and Automation (make the system do the lifting)

  • Finalise CRM forms, scheduling, and job-costing so information flows once (no double entry).

  • Write short SOPs for repeat tasks (quoting, mobilising, site diaries, close-out photos).

  • List 5–10 manual tasks to delegate or automate by Q2.

4) Marketing that compounds (steady beats splashy)

  • Quick plan: tighten website basics, strengthen Google presence, publish case studies with before/after photos, and run a monthly content rhythm.

  • Decide your primary push (commercial, domestic, inspections) and track enquiries → quotes → wins in your CRM.

5) Operational KPIs (what you measure moves)

Review weekly/fortnightly: job gross profit, team productivity, rework/snag rate, client feedback, quoting lead-time. Use a one-page dashboard so everyone sees the same truth. Identify bottlenecks and set a target to remove each one.

6) Your role as MD (work on the business)

Write a “stop-doing” list for 2026. Hand over scheduling, job allocation, routine comms, and day-to-day decisions in phases. Protect CEO time for planning, people, and partnerships.

Add these 2026 success levers

  • Cash discipline: 13-week cashflow, enforce deposits/interim payments, and tighten WIP-to-invoice lead-times.

  • Talent pipeline: structured interviews, clear progression paths, quarterly 1:1s. People stay where they see growth.

  • Risk & compliance: keep RAMS, training matrix, and equipment checks current; align to client accreditations early.

  • Client concentration: cap any single client at a % of revenue; build a shortlist of target accounts and work backward to the first meeting.

  • Aftercare & upsell: schedule post-job check-ins; package maintenance/inspection add-ons to lift lifetime value.

  • Quarterly resets: every 90 days, review targets, kill stale projects, and commit to the next three “big rocks.”

90-Day Launch Plan

Month 1: set revenue/profit targets, update org chart, publish 3 core SOPs, and stand up a KPI dashboard.
Month 2: fix quoting → scheduling → invoicing flow, launch a monthly “case study + review” rhythm, and pilot a maintenance/inspection upsell.
Month 3: first hiring decision, remove one major bottleneck, and run your first quarterly reset.

How Grow Up Can Help

If you want accountability and speed, Grow Up gives you a hands-on partner to build the plan and make it stick. We help you set clear targets, design a simple org chart, write usable SOPs, stand up a one-page KPI dashboard, and tighten your sales/ops/invoicing flow.

We also support compliance (RAMS, training matrices, accreditations) and people systems (role clarity, reviews, progression).

Think of us as your on-call operations coach: practical, commercial, and focused on outcomes.

Ready to make 2026 controlled, profitable, and calm?


👉 Book a 20-minute discovery call or reply “2026 pack” and we’ll send the goal sheet + KPI dashboard to get you moving this week.

Simon Rotheram
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