Our August Goals Didn’t Go to Plan. Now What?

What happens when you set ambitious business goals and reality has other plans? In Episode 27 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja revisit the goals they publicly set for August and give an unfiltered assessment of what worked, what failed, what got delayed, and what those setbacks actually cost. The biggest miss? The new Columbus location still isn't open. Construction delays, permitting issues, architectural decisions and unexpected problems have pushed the timeline back, while rent, payroll, utilities and other expenses continue adding up. But August wasn't all losses. The team built a new sales dashboard that's changing how they coach and manage performance, added another key member to the Closets by David Alan team, hit the Fashion Show sponsorship goal ahead of the event, and continued making progress toward expansion into Charleston and Nashville. More importantly, the setbacks exposed weaknesses in their processes that can now be corrected before opening even more locations. David and Stan break down the lessons they're taking from August, including why entrepreneurs need to trust but verify, why spending money on the right expertise can actually save money, how seemingly small problems compound during expansion, and why missing a goal doesn't mean the goal was a failure. Then it's time to put themselves on the record again. They lay out their September business goals, including opening Columbus, advancing Charleston and Nashville expansion, growing the closet business, testing custom hardwood installations, launching a potential new custom blinds service, hitting company-wide sales targets, and an ambitious goal of raising $100,000 for Casey's Clubhouse through the David Alan Fashion Show. This is entrepreneurship while it's actually happening; the wins, the misses, the money, the mistakes and what happens next. If you're building, growing or scaling a business, this episode is a reminder that the plan rarely survives exactly as you wrote it. What matters is how quickly you learn, adjust and keep moving. Built By Doing follows the real-world process of entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership and building companies — without pretending everything goes according to plan. www.builtbydoingpodcast.com