The What & Why of Strategic Yearly Planning for Your Subscription Box Business

Discover why strategic yearly planning is so important for the health and growth of your subscription box business.

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Planning is important. We know that. Coaches have game plans, moms who cook more than I do have meal plans, and teachers have lesson plans. As subscription box business owners, we need to spend time planning if we want our businesses to grow. I’m talking about strategic yearly planning. 

When you plan strategically, you plan with purpose and intent. Strategic yearly planning is big-picture planning with the end in mind. 

When we take the time to plan strategically, things run more smoothly and we’re more likely to reach our goals - both personal goals and business goals. 

Before we jump into the whats, whys, and hows of creating a strategic yearly plan, I want to make one thing clear. 

This is not a place to write down every small detail of your days, weeks, and months. No dentist appointments or kids’ soccer practices. No hair appointments or reminders to take your dog to the vet. Those belong in your personal planner — the one you cart around with you in your purse or keep on your phone. 

Now that we’ve cleared up what a strategic plan is and isn’t, let’s dig into why you need one and how to get started. 

Why should you have a Strategic Yearly Plan?

I’ve been guilty of not having a plan. When I don’t have a plan, I become reactive instead of proactive. I feel like I’m in a constant state of struggling to catch up. I’m also more likely to make panic decisions instead of the decisions that are best for my business. Some of those panic decisions cost my business time and money. 

When you make time to plan, you’ll feel peace of mind and a sense of calm. Instead of feeling anxious and worried, you’ll be in control and have ownership of your business decisions. 

When you make time to plan, you’ll have an action plan - almost a roadmap - to follow. 

When you make time to plan, you’ll be able to stay focused on your goals. 

When you can see the full year, you can better plan the full year. 

The right tool makes any job or project easier. I remember when I first purchased a Rollo printer to print shipping labels for my subscription boxes. Oh. My. Game changer. Suddenly, we were able to print labels so much faster, easier, and cheaper. 

My “right tool” for Strategic Yearly Planning is my Tall Wall Calendar. Having all 12 months of the year up on my office wall lets me see what my year looks like - at a glance. 

Seeing my entire year at once makes planning projects, launches, and more so much easier. I can see which months look heavy and which are light. I’m able to better manage my - and my team’s - workloads and deadlines. 

So many of you loved the calendar you’d see in the background of my LIVEs that I decided to design one just for my audience. I made it colorful - of course - and oh-so-functional. You can grab one HERE and make it the starting point for your own Strategic Yearly Plan. 

What types of goals should you consider when planning strategically?

We’re talking about creating a strategic yearly plan for your business, so that means focusing only on business goals, right? 

Nope. 

When you take time to plan strategically, you need to look at all parts of your life. All the roles you fill. All the things and people that are important to your life. 

When you’re planning strategically, consider these types of goals: 

• Financial goals - both business and personal 
• Subscriber goals - how many subscribers do you want to gain this year? 
• Time/work goals - i.e., my goal to leave work by 3 PM
• Personal goals - what do you want for yourself? 
• Family goals - what do you want for your family? 
• Starting something new - choose ONE thing to start this year

Take some time to really think through these goals. In addition to big goals, set smaller weekly, monthly, or quarterly goals that build toward the big goals. 

If you have a goal of gaining 100 subscribers this year, you need to set smaller goals throughout the year working up to that number. If you don’t, you run the risk of getting to October and thinking, “Oh no, I need to get started on that goal or I won’t reach it.” Instead, think about working to gain 25 subscribers each quarter and then 10 per month. 

Plan time off - strategically. 

When you’re creating a strategic yearly plan for your business, it’s so easy to fill your year with launches, projects, and deadlines. 

Don’t forget to plan time off. 

I am so guilty of this. One of my big goals last year was to take more trips with my family. The year before, I found myself overscheduled, overcommitted, and just plain overbooked. I planned my year figuring I’d fit in time off and trips around my work. The problem? That time didn’t exist. 

Before you start planning your launches, before you start planning trainings and fulfillment and big projects, plan time off.  

Remember, you don’t have to do all the things. In fact, you shouldn’t do all the things. 

What does success look like to you? 

You are on your own journey - as a person and as a subscription box owner. 

It is important not to leave your success up to chance. When you plan strategically, with purpose and intention, you are able to take ownership of your success.

As you’re planning, it is so important to remember why you started your business. That why - your why - should be the driver. Make sure your goals are in alignment with your why. 

Visual strategic yearly planning allows you to see where you may need to make changes. It helps you identify scheduling conflicts, overscheduled months, and even times during the year when you have room for another project or to try something new. 

Ready to learn more about Strategic Yearly Planning? I walk you through the process step by step inside my Strategic Yearly Planning Workshop. In only 30 minutes you’ll learn how to create a plan to guide your business in 2024. 

Inside Launch Your Box, I dedicated an entire training to Strategic Yearly Planning. It’s a small part of the huge value we provide to subscription box owners every day. Want in? We’d love to welcome you to the Launch Your Box community!