Picture this.
It’s the second week of December.
You’ve got three holiday parties on the calendar, a kid who JUST told you they need a costume for the winter program by Thursday... and a business you swore you’d “sit down and plan properly” before January.
So you finally open a fresh planner.
Stare at 12 blank months.
And close it again. (Because who has a whole weekend to plan an entire year right now? Not you. Not me either.)
Then January 1st shows up, and you’re making it up as you go. Again.
How do I set business goals for the new year?
Here’s the deal... to set business goals for the new year, look back at what worked this year, pick ONE number for 2027, break that number into four quarters, and plan only your first 90 days in detail.
That’s it. And you can do the whole thing in one afternoon (about 3 hours).
(Yep... the 40-page business plan can stay in 2026.)
All you really need is a number for the year and a plan for the next 90 days.
It’s exactly how I plan my own business. I pick the number for the year... and then I only plan the next 90 days. Every quarter, I sit back down and plan the next 90.
Structure creates freedom. And it doesn’t take a whole weekend to build it.
Before you keep reading…
Grab my FREE 90-Day Reset
I made you a free 90-Day Reset so you can fill in your first 90 days as you read. It’s the same process I walk through at the start of every quarter.
Can you really plan your year in one afternoon?
Yes... because you’re not planning all 12 months. You’re picking ONE number for the year, giving each quarter a one-line focus, and planning only the first 90 days in detail.
And honestly? That’s the only part of the plan you can actually trust right now.
Think about how much changed in your business (+ your life) this year. A launch that flopped. A kid who picked up a new sport with practice 4 days a week. A summer that looked nothing like you planned.
A 12-month plan written in December can’t see any of that coming.
So here’s what’s actually happening when you try to plan the whole year at once... you spend a weekend building something beautiful, and by March it’s collecting dust under your desk. (Right next to the other planners. You know the pile I’m talking about.)
I’m a big believer that January isn’t magic anyway... here’s why January planning doesn’t work for most moms in business.
You’ll plan April with WAY better information than you have today. So let April-you handle April.
What do you need before your planning afternoon?
You need three hours blocked on your calendar, your numbers from this year, your family’s 2027 calendar, and ONE place to write it all down.
Think of it as your own little planning retreat. (No hotel required. Kitchen table works great.)
Block 3 hours. Put it on your calendar like a client call... because it IS one. You’re the client.
Pull your 2026 numbers. Revenue, sales by offer, email list size, members, clients... whatever you track. (If you don’t track anything yet, that’s ok. Start with your total sales.)
Grab the school calendar. Spring break, summer, that week in December with three concerts in four days. You’ll need it in step TWO.
Use ONE planner or doc. Everything goes in the same place. (Sorry... the back of a receipt doesn’t count.)
Coffee. Or wine. No judgment here.
How do I set my business goals for 2027?
Plan your afternoon in three blocks: look back at 2026 (45 minutes), pick your 2027 number + break it into quarters (45 minutes), then plan your first 90 days (60 minutes). Take a short break in the middle and you’re done in about 3 hours.
ONE || Look back at 2026 (45 minutes)
Before you pick a single goal, do a quick year end business review.
Most of the time, the answer to next year’s plan is hiding in this year’s numbers.
Answer these 5 questions:
What were my goals this year... and did I hit them?
Where did my sales ACTUALLY come from? (Not where you spent the most time. Where the money came from.)
What did I spend hours on that made zero money?
What would I happily never do again?
What worked that I could do MORE of in 2027?
Be honest with that third one.
Because here’s the reality... most businesses need about 80% of your time spent on marketing + selling. But most of us flip it. We spend 80% of our time on the stuff that feels productive (redoing the website, color coding the Canva folder) and 20% on the stuff that actually makes money.
This year’s numbers are next year’s plan. You just have to look at them.
TWO || Pick your 2027 number (+ break it into quarters) (45 minutes)
Now pick ONE number for 2027.
Revenue. Sales. Members. Email subscribers. Clients. Pick the one that matters most for your business right now.
And can I give you a little permission slip here?
Your number doesn’t have to double. It doesn’t have to match what everyone on Instagram is saying they made last year.
What if enough is enough?
What does your family actually need this business to make? What would let you be at the cross country meet (or the dance recital, or the 3:15 pickup line) without checking your phone the whole time? Start there.
(If saying any number out loud makes you want to hide under your desk, read how to set goals you’re scared to say out loud first. Then come back.)
Once you have your number, break it into quarters.
Start by dividing it by 4. Then adjust for real life... because your business doesn’t run at the same speed all year, and neither do you.
So if your 2027 goal is $30,000 in revenue, it might look like this:
Q1 (Jan-Mar): $7,000 >> grow my email list
Q2 (Apr-Jun): $8,000 >> launch my offer
Q3 (Jul-Sep): $5,000 >> lighter summer while the kids are home
Q4 (Oct-Dec): $10,000 >> Black Friday + holiday promos
Same $30,000. But now it actually fits your year.
That’s how to plan your year in quarters. One number, four chunks, one focus each.
The number tells you which way you’re running. The quarters tell you how fast.
Take a 10-minute break here. Switch the laundry. Refill the coffee. Then come back for the last part.
THREE || Plan ONLY your first 90 days (60 minutes)
This is the part most people skip... and it’s the part that actually gets you to your number.
Q2, Q3, and Q4 stay at one line each. Q1 gets the real plan.
Write your Q1 number + ONE focus. (From the example above: $7,000, grow my email list.)
Pick one income-producing focus for each month. Maybe January is building your list, February is warming them up, and March is your first promo.
Put the big dates on your calendar. Launch dates, promo windows, any week you know you’ll be offline (hello, spring break).
Schedule your NEXT planning afternoon. First week of April. Put it on the calendar right now, before you close your planner.
If you want to go deeper on this part, I walk through exactly how to set your quarterly goals in how to set 90-day business goals you’ll actually hit.
A plan for the year is a guess. A plan for the next 90 days is a to-do list.
What are some good business goals to set for 2027?
A good business goal has a number and a deadline, and it’s tied to money or people... revenue, sales, members, subscribers, or clients. If you can’t count it, it’s probably a strategy instead of a goal.
Here are some examples:
Make $30,000 in revenue in 2027
Sell 200 of my digital product
Grow my email list to 2,000 subscribers
Add 25 new members to my membership
Book 12 new 1:1 clients
And here’s what those look like when they’re NOT goals yet:
❌ “Be more consistent”
❌ “Grow my audience”
❌ “Post more on Instagram”
Those aren’t bad! You’ll probably still do them.
They just live UNDER your number... not in place of it.
Your 2027 doesn’t need a whole weekend
Let’s bring it home.
Planning your whole year can feel like a giant project you need a free weekend for.
But it really only takes one afternoon.
Look back at what actually made you money in 2026
Pick ONE number for 2027 (+ break it into quarters that fit your real life)
Plan ONLY your first 90 days
Then close the planner and go enjoy December.
Busy is not a badge of honor. A plan you’ll actually follow is.
Want to do this WITH me?
Join the 2027 Planning Retreat
If you know yourself (+ you know that “I’ll block 3 hours next week” turns into February real fast)... let’s just do it together.
On December 15, I’m hosting the 2027 Planning Retreat. It’s this exact afternoon (except in the morning), done together. We’ll look back at your year, pick your 2027 number, and map out your first 90 days... so you walk into January with a plan instead of a blank planner.
Bring your SYS Planner (the 90-day goal pages are built right in), your coffee, and your numbers. I’ll bring the structure.
PS - Grab a SYS Planner Black Friday weekend (November 27-28) and your seat at the 2027 Planning Retreat is FREE. 👉 Get your SYS Planner here
FAQs
How do I set business goals for the new year? Look back at what worked this year, pick ONE measurable number for the new year (like revenue, sales, members, or subscribers), break that number into four quarters, and plan only your first 90 days in detail. You can do all of it in one afternoon, in about 3 hours.
How do you break your year into quarters? Start with your yearly goal and divide it by 4. Then adjust each quarter for real life... lower in slower seasons (like summer with kids home), higher in busy selling seasons (like Black Friday + the holidays). Give each quarter one focus, and only plan the next 90 days in detail.
What are some good business goals to set? Good business goals have a number and a deadline and are tied to money or people. Examples: make $30,000 in revenue in 2027, grow your email list to 2,000 subscribers, add 25 new members to your membership, or book 12 new clients. “Be more consistent” is a strategy, not a goal.
How long does it take to plan your year for your business? About 3 hours if you only plan what you can actually see. Spend 45 minutes reviewing this year, 45 minutes picking your yearly number and breaking it into quarters, and 60 minutes planning your first 90 days.
What is a planning retreat? A planning retreat is time you set aside just to plan your business... away from client work, email, and the daily to-do list. It doesn’t have to be a weekend away. A 3-hour planning day at your kitchen table works, as long as it’s on your calendar and protected.