Sept. Lunch & Learn - Year-End Business Review: What to Analyze Before You Plan for 2026

Lunch & Learn Topic:

A useful session led by Kimberly Kean where you'll learn how to engage your leadership team for planning to have a great road map for the upcoming year. Thank you to our sponsor Consolidated Supply Co.!

Key Takeaways

• Annual planning meetings should involve the leadership team (ideally 3-5 people) and take place off-site over 2 days
• The process includes reviewing the past year, SWOT analysis, setting 1/3/5 year goals, and defining 90-day projects
• Open, honest communication and team alignment are critical for successful planning and execution
• Using an outside facilitator/implementer can be very helpful, especially for family businesses

Lunch & Learn Topic Details

Annual Planning Meeting Structure

• Hold off-site over 2 days with leadership team (3-5 people ideal)
• Day 1: Icebreaker, review previous year, team building, SWOT analysis, 1/3/5 year planning
• Day 2: 90-day projects, tackle key issues, confirm next steps
• End with feedback and rating of meeting effectiveness

Review of Previous Year

• Assess if 80%+ of goals were accomplished
• Review key financial and operational metrics
• Evaluate ability to predict and achieve goals year-over-year
• Analyze completed projects and systems improvements

SWOT Analysis & Issues List

• Each team member contributes strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
• Compile into master list as basis for addressing issues
• Prioritize top issues to tackle
• Use IDS process:
  • Identify real problem
  • Discuss openly
  • Solve

1/3/5 Year Planning

• 5 year: Broad vision (revenue, profit %, # trucks)
• 3 year: More specific (revenue, staff, location needs, savings goals)
• 1 year: 10-15 specific goals, broken down by quarter
• Ensure full team alignment on goals before proceeding

90-Day Projects

• 3-7 company-wide projects max per quarter
• No side projects allowed
• Clear owner and "done" criteria for each project
• Schedule next quarterly review meeting

Implementation Tips

• Consider using a facilitator, especially for family businesses
• Use software like 90.io or bloomgrowth.com to manage projects
• Hold weekly leadership meetings to review progress
• Communicate plan to full company quarterly
• Collect ongoing feedback from all employees