A few years ago, I was running a small but promising tech venture. We had built our MVP, signed a couple of early clients, and felt we were ready to scale. When one of our advisors asked, “So, what does your next year look like?” — I proudly replied, “We’re aiming for 3x growth!”

His response? A single sentence that changed how I think even today:
“Hope isn’t a plan.”

That day I kept on thinking about “Hope isn’t a plan.”. Finally, I realized I had ambition, but no real projection.

Since then, I’ve helped several founders, teams, and even my own ventures plan their years better, not by using complex financial models, but by breaking things down in a way that makes sense to real people doing real work.

📍 Why Projections Matter

Yearly projections serve multiple purposes:

  • Set direction for your team and stakeholders
  • Align goals across sales, marketing, product, and operations
  • Estimate resources and costs realistically
  • Measure progress and iterate effectively
  • Support funding conversations with clarity and confidence

So here’s how you can do it too — with clarity, confidence, and no MBA required.

📍 Step 1: Start with a Dream — But Break It Down

Let’s say you want to make ₹50 lakhs this year. Great.

Now ask:

  • How many clients do I need?
  • How much will each one pay?
  • Can I realistically deliver that volume?

If your average client brings in ₹2.5 lakhs, you need 20 such clients. That’s about 1.5–2 clients per month.

That’s not a dream, that’s a starting point.

🧠 Step 2: Think People, Not Just Numbers

Revenue doesn’t happen magically, people make it happen. So ask:

  • Who will bring in the clients? (Sales)
  • Who will make noise so people know we exist? (Marketing)
  • Who will deliver the work? (Operations/Tech)
  • Who will keep clients happy? (Customer Success)

Even if you’re doing it all yourself now, it helps to imagine your future team. This gives your projection a structure.

🛠️ Step 3: Plan the Tools & Systems

Running a business means using tools like CRM for tracking leads, email software for marketing, a project tool to stay sane.

Don’t overcomplicate. List the tools you will need and how much they will cost.

Example:

  • Email & CRM (₹1,000/month)
  • Social media tools (₹500/month)
  • Hosting, software (₹2,000/month)

That’s ₹3,500/month or ₹42,000/year.
Small numbers add up and include them in your plan.

📆 Step 4: Think in Milestones, Not Just Months

Instead of just saying “We will grow every month,” add specific checkpoints.

  • By April: 1st international client
  • By July: Launch new feature
  • By October: ₹5 lakhs/month revenue
  • By December: Hire customer success lead

These milestones make your plan real. They keep you accountable and focused.

🔁 Step 5: Check If It All Makes Sense

Let me tell you what happened to a friend of mine, let’s call him Ramesh.

Ramesh runs a digital agency. Last year, he made a bold projection: “We’ll hit ₹1 crore this year!”

He hired two designers, a sales guy, and even rented a fancy office. He had the energy, a great-looking plan, and a team ready to roll.

But by mid-year, things started slipping.

Why?
Because his plan assumed three big clients would close in Q1, and none of them did.
He hadn’t considered what would happen if those deals didn’t land.
There was no fallback plan, no buffer, no realistic cash flow tracking.

Ramesh had the right ambition, but the wrong assumptions. He had people, tools, and a target, but they didn’t align when reality struck.

So, when you finish building your projection:

  • Pause. Breathe. Step back.
  • Ask yourself:
    • Do your people + tools + marketing = your revenue target?
    • Are you spending more than you plan to bring in?
    • If your top 2 assumptions fall through—will the business survive?

A solid projection isn’t just about what could go right, it’s about being ready when things go wrong.

You don’t need to be pessimistic, but you do need to be prepared.

💡 What I’ve Learned

Here’s what I know after a few hard-earned years:

  • You don’t need fancy Excel models — just clarity
  • You don’t need to guess — ask your past data, even if it’s just 3 clients
  • You don’t need to do it alone — get your co-founder or team involved

✅ Final Thought

A yearly projection is not a prediction. It’s a promise you make to yourself.

It says: “This is where I want to go. This is how I plan to get there. And this is what I will do if the road changes.”

So, the next time someone asks, “What does your next year look like?”
Don’t say “3x growth.”
Say: “We’re aiming for 20 clients, we have planned our team, we have set the tools and milestones, and yes, we are ready.”

Because hope isn’t a plan. But a good plan gives you hope.