Three Frameworks for Planning 2026

With Black Friday and cyber Monday behind you and as you crush the next few weeks of sales, it’s time to think about 2026.

If you’re ready to start sketching out your plans, consider these three frameworks.

First remember that “Cash is King.”

I know it’s tempting to take your cash and buy something to improve the business or pay down debt or reward yourself.

I suggest a different approach: put that money into a savings account until you complete your 2026 planning and have a good estimate of your taxes owed for 2025.

This excess cash can help you avoid borrowing money later.

I want you to break the debt cycle and having cash at your disposal will help.

Next, think about the return you want from your business for 2026.

Return is based on more than just finances in this method I learned from Brad Martineau of Sixth Division.

You want to get clear on the return for your investment of time, energy, and dollars in the business.

As a small business owner, our resources are finite.

Let’s be sure we are monitoring and deploying them to ensure they align with what we want.

Finally, think about what actions you’re going to take, both in marketing and in operations in 2026.

Get granular!

Start with your current baseline.

What are the costs of marketing efforts to retain your current clients?

When do those revenues and expenses hit?

When will you launch new products? At what margin? At what marketing and development cost?

What are the initial cash outlays and when will they hit?

This “in the weeds” level of planning will allow you to create a financial forecast and goals that you can measure in a meaningful way.

I know it’s tempting to just say I’ll do 10% more than last year and hope.

However, in the words of Dr. Edward Deming, “By what method?!”

To make a plan work, you have to dive into the details.

Our CFO Focus Program can help you with that. Together, we'll create a plan and start achieving goals to make 2026 the year you take back your control.

If you're ready to get started, let's talk about how we can help.

Cyndi