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#59 - 2026 Business Planning Part 1: Why Founders Must Start NOW (Not December)
Manage episode 509493775 series 3553250
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If Q1 always feels slow, you’re planning too late. This is Part 1 of our 2-part annual planning series, where host Jessica Marx (with Brooke Dumas) shares why the most successful 7–8 figure founders lock in their next-year strategy now —not December.
You’ll learn:
- Why waiting until December or January almost guarantees a sluggish Q1.
- How to use 9 months of real data to decide what to scale, stop, or start for 2026.
- The cash-flow advantage of securing contracts and deposits in Q4.
- Why your finance team and staff need runway to resource Q1 initiatives.
- How to review leadership, fractionals, and agencies like a pro sports team roster—keeping A-players, upgrading gaps.
- Why stepping away from the weeds to plan with peers unlocks bigger, faster decisions.
Next week in Part 2, Jessica and Brooke will walk you step-by-step through the 2026 Business Planner, showing you exactly how to run the process yourself.
Mini-timeline
- 00:43–01:20 Why we plan in September (not December)
- 03:07–04:09 The Q1 slowdown problem—and how to prevent it
- 05:35–07:38 Securing next year’s revenue in Q4
- 08:42–11:06 What to bring to planning meetings
- 14:03–16:00 Re-rostering your team for the next “season”
- 18:50–21:13 The importance of stepping away to think
Resources
- Download the 2026 Business Planner ($100 off to the first 100) or at millionsweremade.com
- Follow @MillionsWereMade on Instagram for frameworks + strategy tips
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