Vision vs. Execution: What Claude Thorpe Tells Founders About the 5-Year Plan

Why Your Strategy Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect — But It Does Need to Exist

Claude Thorpe has seen plenty of pitch decks.

Most start the same way: vision statements, growth curves, capital projections. Big talk. Big numbers.

But when Claude sits down with a founder or leadership team, he doesn’t look at the spreadsheet first.

He asks a simple question:

“Where are you trying to go?”

You’d be surprised how often there’s no clear answer.

You Can’t Execute What You Can’t Articulate

The truth is, you won’t hit your 5-year plan exactly. That’s not the point.

The point is direction. Alignment. Momentum with purpose.

Claude has worked with operators and founders who built incredible things — not because the plan was perfect, but because they had one. And they adjusted along the way.

No plan is bulletproof. But no plan? That’s a drift, not a strategy.

4 Questions Claude Asks Founders Before They Scale

1. What Does Success Actually Look Like in 5 Years?

More wells? A sale? Recurring revenue? Claude pushes leaders to define outcomes — not just output. If you can’t name it, you can’t aim at it.

2. What Will You Never Compromise Along the Way?

Claude’s most successful ventures started with non-negotiables: safety, transparency, culture, margin. Clarity on your “lines in the sand” protects you when momentum tries to pull you off-course.

3. Who Will Help You Get There — and What Do They Need to Know Now?

A vision locked inside a founder’s head doesn’t scale. Claude encouraged regular storytelling — town halls, investor calls, partner alignment — so the vision wasn’t just seen, it was shared.

4. What Would You Do Today If You Were Already at Year 5?

This flips the mindset from reactive to proactive. Claude often challenged leaders to reverse-engineer their desired future. What habits, systems, or hires would that version of the company already have?

The Founders Who Win Aren’t Just Dreamers — They’re Builders

Claude’s career was shaped by leaders who didn’t wait for perfect clarity.

They took a step, adjusted, took another — and built momentum by doing, not waiting.

They set a course… not a guarantee.

Because they knew: even if you don’t land exactly where you planned, a clear direction will get you closer than drift ever will.

Final Thought

You don’t need a crystal ball to lead well.

But you do need a compass.

So here’s the question again — the one Claude asks, and the one every founder should answer often:

Where are you trying to go?