A Life First Guide To Annual Business Planning

What this episode covers

[Sign up for the Deep Retreat, December 13-14, 2025]EPISODE SUMMARYIf you are allergic to planning but exhausted by winging it, this episode gives you a simple, life first way to map out your next year in business. Chelsea walks you through the exact annual planning process she uses for herself and clients, especially creative, neuro spicy founders who hate corporate style planning. You will learn how to set a clear North Star for the next 12 months, reflect on what actually worked this year, and turn it into a grounded, capacity based 90 day plan that your nervous system can actually handle. By the end, you will know how to plan your year without locking yourself into rigid timelines, so you can hit your revenue goals, protect your energy, and make better decisions faster.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN…Why most traditional annual planning breaks for creative, multipassionate founders and what to do insteadHow to set broad strokes intentions for the next 12 months and pick your top 3 to 5 North Star goalsHow to do a capacity check before you plan launches or projects so your calendar matches your actual life and energyHow to turn that annual sketch into a concrete 90 day plan with specific projects and subtasksWhy putting your plan directly on your calendar (especially if you are neurodivergent) reduces decision fatigue and keeps you out of constant reactivityHow the Deep Retreat guides you through this entire process live, with nervous system support and coachingKEY TAKEAWAYS AND CONCEPTSLife First Annual Planning: a planning process designed for founders who wear every hat, need flexibility, and refuse to copy corporate planning templates. You keep the detailed planning to 90 day windows and use your annual plan as a North Star, not a prison.Reflection Audit: a simple review of the past year across six areasOffersOperations and systemsFinancesSalesMarketing and visibilityDelivery, results, and impactFor each area, ask:What worked well and what didn'tWhat did I love and what did I hateWhat do I wish I had done but did notThen list your top 10 business moments from the year and ask what they reveal about the kind of work, clients, and structure you actually want more of.Calendar Mapping: your plan is not real until it lives on your calendar. Especially if you are time blind or project management averse, move your 90 day tasks into actual time blocks. Include:Broad focus windows for each month or quarterKey sales periods and delivery milestonesProject milestones for hiring, systems, or curriculumDeep Retreat: Chelsea’s virtual deep dive where you are guided through the dreamy nervous system prep, reflection, capacity check, and full annual and 90 day planning process together. If you want live support, coaching, and a structured container for this work, the link to the Deep Retreat is in the show notes.WORK WITH CHELSEAThe Empathy Edge (1:1 Mentorship)Your signature offers deserve more than word-of-mouth and make or break launches. Build a human-first sales system that balances strategy and nervous system safety. Learn to sell on evergreen, simplify your campaigns, and stay consistent, without launch stress or relying on referrals.→ Learn MoreSay Less Sales Messaging SprintA one-week sprint to fix stagnant or plateaued sales with emotionally intelligent, conversion-ready messaging that speaks to strangers, not just referrals.→ Book a SprintMarked Up Copy AuditGet detailed, personalized feedback on your sales page or email sequence so you can see exactly what’s working, what’s not, and what to say next.→ Book an Audit

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