Anyone else have shiny object syndrome? 🙋🏻‍♀️ I can’t be alone when I say getting my mind to calm down and focus is HARD! I always have a million + one ideas for my business – and I want to do them all right now. But unfortunately, it often means I accomplish nothing. This is why having a quarterly business plan has been essential to making moves in my business.

One investment I made in 2022 was hiring a copywriter (shoutout to The Relevant Collective!). We meet each quarter to plan content for the next three months and – wow – it has been a game-changer.

I want to give you a sneak peek into how I create a quarterly business plan, and how I stick to it 😉

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#1 Reflect

I always start my quarterly business plan by reflecting on the past quarter. This helps me recognize what goals I met, those I’m still working toward, and what went right. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Are there any goals or tasks I didn’t get to? 
• Was there anything this quarter that just didn’t feel right?
• What are the wins from the quarter? 
• What is one thing you are happy you accomplished?

#2 Prepare My Calendar

Next, I print three copies of the monthly planning sheet (which you can actually download this for free here!). I fill in the calendar with holidays, vacations, or other specific events coming up. Not only does this help me plan around events, but plan for specific events (like Black Friday) as well.

To keep focused on my quarterly business plan, I also create a theme or word for each month. As I plan, I keep coming back to that idea. Do the tasks, content, and products I’m promoting support that goal?

#3 Determine Your Goals

I get super overwhelmed with trying to accomplish one big goal each month. So instead, I break my goal into smaller chunks across my quarterly business plan. This also means I get to check more things off – which is super satisfying 😄

Then, I actually mark a day on the calendar that I want each goal completed by, and I determine the steps I need to get there. These steps will eventually go into my project management system (I use Asana), but for now – I keep it on paper!

#4 Products, Offers, and Freebies

Now that I have my themes and goals in my quarterly business plan, I pair any current offers, products, and freebies with those months. This helps me ensure I’m continuously promoting my services and offers, and building my email list in the process!

#5 Quarterly Meeting

Now it’s time for the quarterly meeting! I sit down with Branda, my copywriter, and we spend an hour planning and diving deep into content. We plan out my blog posts and emails for the upcoming quarter and make sure it’s aligned with the goals I have planned for my business.

After the meeting, I do a little happy dance because PHEW! the planning is done. Lastly, I take my finalized quarterly business plan and upload key dates and content into Asana. 

Once everything is Asana, I can stay on track. When a new idea pops up, or I have a new offer in mind – I write it down in the brainstorming section of Asana and save it for another time. This helps me a lot because I don’t feel like I’m neglecting my current goals – or my ideas. I’m honoring them both, while making sure I honor my own boundaries and capacity. It’s a win-win-win!

Got questions about my quarterly business plans? Schedule a Pick My Brain session to ask me anything about my business, goal setting, web design, and more!