Did you know that it can take as little as 25 hours a year to do strategic planning? The math is simple. It breaks down to an average of 6.25 hours a quarter.
Q1-5
Q2-5
+ Q3-8
Q4-7
———–
25 hours (see… what I mean?) 😉
In working with apparel leaders and founders I’ve found spending 25 hours a year allows them to provide 1) A clear roadmap for their team that gets everyone moving in the right direction to achieve the strategic goal 2) Removes silos and promotes healthy collaboration 3) Stay out of the weeds and maintain the clarity of a visionary leader.
Here are just a few tools in my arsenal that build my strategic planning framework ⬇️
- Business Development Calendar 📅
- Important Dates – Administrative Planning Cadence ⏳
- Important Dates – Design | Sales | Marketing Planning Cadence 📊
📍Decoding In The Coming Weeks and where should you be in the planning cadence?
At this time the industry is moving into phase 2 of the Autumn-Winter 2022 (AW22) planning process. November 12th marks 90 days until the AW22 buying season which begins on February 10, 2022. This is a critical time and could have a drastic impact on your business, positive or negative.
📍 Administrative
Finetune December Strategy
Close the books on October
Recap October business by 11/15
📍Design | Sales | Marketing – Keep in mind it takes a year, if not more to plan a season and develop a collection. Here is a macro overview of planning a season.
📍Part 1 (6 months) | Inspiration, Color & Trends | Sourcing & Materials | Design & Pre-production | B2B Marketing & Sales (primary focus) B2C Marketing & Sales (secondary focus).
📍Part 2 (6 months) | B2C Marketing & Sales | Production | Distribution & Logistics| Shipping & Fulfillment.
