Every Q4, the Thrivers Team leadership gets together with a clear mission in mind: to strategize for the upcoming year.
Taking this time together to dive deep into strategic annual planning, projects, tasks, and more is a process we’ve been doing for years and, we’ll be honest: it’s a gamechanger. Setting aside this time to create our plan has changed the business and made our teamwork even more efficient and effective.
And to make it happen, there’s a few must-haves we’ve got to have.
Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on our planning process and walking you through our must-have materials that make our planning process easy!
The right people in the room
Only the Thrivers Team leaders attend this meeting, meaning 12 team members stay at home. That doesn’t mean those team members aren’t involved (we’ll get to that in a bit), but we’ve learned that having too many people in the room changes it from a strategic planning session to a brainstorming one.
So who do you invite to join you for an annual planning session? The heads of each area of your business: CEO, CFO, CMO, COO, and the talent.
Does that mean if you’re a solopreneur, you have to do annual planning on your own? Absolutely not, and we don’t recommend you do. Have a business coach walk you through it, use a system like Wealthiest Year Yet, do it with a group of others. Don’t just shout into a void and hope something amazing comes together.
However, it does mean that if you wear all the hats in your business (CEO, CFO, CMO, COO, and talent) that you should imagine yourself in each of those seats. Ask yourself, “What would the [CEO/COO/CMO/whatever hat you’re wearing] fight for in this seat?” Use those answers to help with your annual plan.
Paper
Before you say “Duh,” and move on, stick with us here. We’re not talking about just any old paper. We love the big 25” x 30” Post-It paper pads because they stick right on the wall, are big enough for all your ideas, projects, and plans, and make moving them around easy.
If you don’t have room for giant pieces of paper on your wall or would rather keep your planning a little more bite-sized, regular 8.5” x 11” printer paper works great!
You’ll use the paper to categorize and organize all your thoughts, ideas, projects for the year ahead.
Post-Its
Thanks to Britt, the entire Thrivers Team loves Post-It planning! They’re a fun pop of color, make it easy to stay organized, and move items from paper to paper.
If you’re using the large 25” x 30” sheets of paper, grab regular-sized Post-Its in your favorite colors (get a variety to help you stay organized when you start planning). If you’re using smaller 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper, snag the smaller size of Post-Its.
A way for the entire team to contribute
Remember how we said that not everybody on the Thrivers Team makes the journey to the annual planning meeting? That doesn’t mean they’re left out. Instead, a survey is sent out to collect thoughts, information, and perspectives on what’s working and what isn’t in the business. This way, everybody gets involved in helping move the business forward and the strategic sessions stay strategic.
If you have a team, you can send a survey through Google Forms. We suggest making it anonymous and encouraging your team to wholeheartedly share their thoughts to get a full perspective from your team.
If you are the only one in your business, sit down and do a massive brain drain about what works and what doesn’t in your business. Let it sit for a few days and add items as they pop up in your head (and they will). This helps you get a complete picture of your business’s successes, roadblocks, and issues.
Time
Annual planning isn’t something you can do in a rush or in the few free moments between clients. ‘Round here, we dedicate a whole two days to our official annual planning. That doesn’t include the prep time or time for the team to complete the survey.
Give yourself lots of time (two days’ minimum) to sit down and really work on your business, and, as much as you can, keep this time strategic. Close out unnecessary tabs, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, don’t book clients, and focus on your planning.
Wealthiest Year Yet
You read that right. We know our annual planning system works because we use it ourselves! Go through each step of the Wealthiest Year Yet planner and program to make your strategic planning process effective and efficient.
We get it…annual planning can feel overwhelming, but with the right tools, it can be straightforward! If you want an inside peek at our annual planning process and how you can adapt it for your business, check out episode 264 of the Thriving Stylist Podcast!