Introduction

There’s a quote that I really like from Mike Tyson: everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

That line applies perfectly to two things in my life right now: raising a child and building a startup.

When my son was born, I thought I had a plan. Sleep schedule, feeding schedule, routines. Then reality punched me in the face at 3 a.m. and none of those plans survived contact with a crying newborn. But they still mattered as they gave me direction, even when I had to adjust on the fly.

Startups aren’t that different. Especially around hiring.

Most early stage companies wait until January to think about the year’s headcount. But by then, the year has already punched them in the face. They’re scrambling to fill key roles, losing candidates to faster moving competitors, and burning precious time trying to figure out what they actually need.

The truth is simple: if you want a successful hiring year, your 2026 plan needs to start before 2026.

Not a perfect plan. Not a rigid one. Just a clear direction.

When we talk to founders, we see a few patterns over and over

• They underestimate how long hiring takes.
• They don’t map roles to milestones.
• They don’t think about what happens if growth is faster or slower than expected.
• They assume recruiting will be easier in the future than it was this year. It won’t.

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Planning early doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing. Kids get sick. Product launches slip. Funding rounds shift. People quit. Life punches you in the face at unexpected times.

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But if you’ve thought ahead, you’re not reacting from panic. You’re adjusting from a position of strength.

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In a weird way, raising a kid taught me this. You can have the best plan in the world, but toddlers don’t care. The value isn’t in sticking to the plan. It’s in having one, knowing why it exists, and being ready to pivot without losing the big picture.

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So here’s my simple take as we approach a new year:

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Make a hiring plan. Or make it now if you haven’t yet. Then accept that it will change, and stay flexible enough to change with it.

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That balance is what separates the companies that scale from the ones that stall. And honestly, it’s the same balance that keeps you sane as a parent.