nanoPlans Chickadees — small but resilient, thriving even in the toughest winters.
An evolution sequence shrinking from a T. rex to a small running dinosaur, a winged dinosaur-bird and finally a chickadee

Plan, Adapt, Thrive.

Strategic planning made easy.

In challenging and changing times, it's not the biggest that survives, but rather the most agile and adaptable. Business resilience tools, like a well-crafted strategic plan, can help a small business navigate economic ups and downs.

nanoPlans brings structure, outside perspective and practical tools to small businesses, with plans that are simplified and scaled to fit a small team's time, budget and reality.

A vintage yellow blow-mould jack-o'-lantern grinning in a shop window, beside a shell curtain and a pair of cow figurines

Neighbourhood spotlight

Happy spooky season from Hintonburg!

Spotted in the window at Curious Times Collective on Somerset Street West: a vintage blow-mould jack-o'-lantern. We want it!

Visit Curious Times Collective

Latest insight · October 2026

Is your business ready for a super El Niño winter?

What the 1998 ice storm and the 2022 derecho can teach us, and three questions to ask now.

Read the article
Business plans are often confused with strategic plans, but they're not the same thing. Every company should have both types of plan, and it's important to know the differences between them so your business can benefit from both. BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) — bdc.ca

Ready to figure out what's next?

Who we serve

You like doing, not planning.

nanoPlans is for small-business owners who know their product, their customer and how to run a business, but may not have a background in business resilience tools, like strategic planning.

You might be:

  • turning an idea into a business
  • ready to take a more deliberate approach to growth
  • facing a significant business decision or investment
  • preparing a strategic plan for financing or funding
  • finding that the business has become more complex than it used to be

The business environment is changing in unprecedented ways. You don't need to predict what's coming. You need a clear understanding of where you are, where you could go, and what to do next.

That's what nanoPlans is designed to do.

98%+
of businesses in Canada are rated as “small” — fewer than 100 employees
46%+
of Canada's private workforce is employed in small businesses

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada — SME research and statistics

Not sure where to start? That's a fine place to begin.

How it works

An approach tailored to you.

1

We develop an understanding

Of you personally, your business and your environment. After an onboarding session to get to know you better, I spend some time working on my own, developing a 360-degree look at you and the environment you operate in.

2

We build the strategy

Over one or more facilitation sessions, we use the picture we painted in step one to craft a strategy that accounts for external factors and is aligned to your own strengths and weaknesses. We ruminate, reflect and revise as we go — because crafting strategy isn't easy. It's a full-brain exercise that requires self-awareness and intuition, logic and creativity.

3

We help you execute

A plan is only worth the paper it's written on — it's the execution that counts. We help set you up for success, with tools like concise visual plan summaries and dashboards that track your key performance metrics. And we follow up with you, on your preferred schedule — even a brief huddle to celebrate successes or talk through issues can help keep you motivated and on track.

The engagement can be as focused or as involved as the project requires. The value of a strategic plan isn’t in the document. It’s in the strategy and the follow-through.

Pricing

You'll know the cost before we start.

nanoPlans uses simple, proven strategy tools so you can examine your organization, its environment and its priorities — and turn that thinking into a practical plan.

Every engagement is different, but nanoPlans is designed to be accessible to small organizations.

nanoPlan Lite$250 nanoPlan$500 nanoPlan+$800
Onboarding ✓ ✓ ✓
Business 360A 360° look at your business or organization's customer-facing health — including finances, reputation, physical presence, website, SEO, social media and more. — ✓ ✓
SWOTA simple look at your internal strengths and weaknesses, and the external opportunities and threats you face. / PESTELA scan of the broader external forces that could affect your organization — from economic and social trends to technology, regulation and the environment. Guided session Guided + research Guided + deeper research
Facilitated planning sessions 1 2 3+
Strategic plan Light action summary Practical strategic plan Full strategic plan
Risk management matrixA structured look at the key risks facing your organization, mapped by likelihood and impact, so you know which ones need attention first. — ✓ ✓
KPIs & dashboard, risk strategyMeasurables that help you track whether your priorities and goals are actually being achieved, a strategy for managing the risks the matrix identifies, and a working KPI dashboard you can use to track progress against your plan. — — ✓
Follow-up session Yes Of course Absolutely

Need something even smaller? We can talk.

Before we start, you'll know exactly what the project will cost and what you'll get for it.

Want a straight answer on what your project would cost?

About

Why nanoPlans exists.

A single red maple leaf resting on a concrete sidewalk

I love walkable neighbourhoods. Small businesses (and the people who lead them) bring energy, character and connection to the places where we live.

  • The independent bakery on the corner that makes the best cannelés in the city
  • The little hardware shop that somehow has one of everything
  • The restaurant that knows your regular order

After more than two decades as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, followed by five years in senior management in the private and not-for-profit sectors, I've spent much of my career thinking about strategy, navigating complexity and turning big-picture goals into practical action.

I created nanoPlans to put that experience to work in a different way. Your business is your baby, and you have within you everything you need to make it a success. I'll bring some structure, useful questions and proven strategy tools to the table — and give you the space to think, and figure out where you want to go next.

A well crafted strategic plan doesn't predict every eventuality, but it will give you confidence in your own ability to adapt.

These are challenging times — elbows up.

Contact

Let's start with a conversation.

Based in Ottawa, serving small businesses in Ottawa and surrounding communities. Are you a small not-for-profit? Our focus is on businesses, but reach out, perhaps we could help.

Your details are used only to reply to you. See our privacy statement.

Email
Phone 613-416-3707
Reply time Same day
Service area Ottawa & surrounding communities

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