Behind-the-Scenes: How to Plan for Next Year

How do you partner with God for strategy concerning the coming year? How do you know what to start doing, stop doing and keep doing? Is God even concerned about the little things like your budget and your marketing plan and your target customer?

Here's a behind-the-scenes look into what I do, why I do it and how I am partnering with Heaven in my business for next year.

1. Set aside time

I prioritized a day. In truth this is not enough. But it was a good start and has given me the foundations and ingredients to refine over the break (allow it to 'percolate' internally) before taking another take early in the new year to consolidate then execute. There are no major changes - simply confirming and refining focus.

2. Find a place that helps you be still, reflect, remember and refocus

A prayer house is excellent for this. Perhaps your local church or a church in your city where you could go and sit before the Lord. Perhaps it's a place out in nature that works for you to be still and quiet any distractions.

I went to the prayer house at Life Center Harrisburg.  It's a two hour drive from home and I intentionally left my laptop at home. Getting away was totally worth the effort! 

3. Remember the Lord

This not a transactional meeting but a relationship you are continuing to build. So take time to be together. Worship. Express gratitude. 

I took a couple hours in the morning to do this first. I've felt more recently with so many opportunities and things opening up I really need to focus on connection and keep myself from running (back) into solely accomplishment/transaction mode.

4. Remember the results

Reflect back over the last year and write down your metrics and results (key performance indicators - KPI's). Record the highlights - the testimonies that happened through the year that you want to see repeated. Consider personal and spiritual growth, financial growth, customer base, product or service development, systems and procedures, relational and emotional growth, marriage and family... How much did you give this year? What were the surprising areas of growth? What did you learn? 

I wrote down our growth and demographics with social media and email correspondence. I listed the places we did workshops and conference and retreats. I listed all the mastermind groups and advisory relationships that I am working with. I then sat back and remembered and wrote down the testimonies from across those places plus what has happened in my life and family and our move. In doing this it is impossible not to overflow with gratitude and awe!

5. What do you see and hear for the coming year?

Where is there favor or opportunities? What does looking back over the last year tell you about what could be coming next?

We have significant favor with retreat and workshop opportunities and how the conference is literally falling into place for Atlanta in April. There are a couple of locations that also have unusual amounts of connections/favor that I have identified and will lean into making a priority. One is NYC with Markus and Claudia Kirwald, and another is Lancaster and/or Harrisburg, PA with some other key connections. We will be spending a day a month in NYC and looking to do a workshop or retreat in PA in May. 

As I pondered this before the Lord I have three key scriptures that are guiding us for the foreseeable future, which give clear objectives:

A) Isaiah 55:5 - Summon / call the crowd through a nurture sequence that invites them into a growth opportunity where they can access tools and resources to grow in identity and partnership with God at work. This encompasses our social strategy through to annual conference and membership community.

The community piece is something we continue to lean into to find ways to make this more effective in facilitating purposeful connection. We have a promise that the Lord will give us the strategy to do this so waiting on more clarity before we implement. Of note, the website host we use has purchased a leading community platform and this will become available internally in January... timing is perfect!

B) Titus 1:5 - Give clarity and confidence and connection to those we are working more closely with. Turn friends into partners through advising, mentoring, training, confronting, modeling and encouraging.  This encompasses our workshops, retreats, mastermind groups and individual advisory.

C) 2 Timothy 2:22 - Identify and multiply those who have evidence of (Romans 16:19) excellence in their business, proven character, vibrant connection to Christ and ability to train others also. This is our strategy to multiply at the pace of relationship where we promote others as advisors, group facilitators and city-community leaders.

I also asked Michelle, who works with Heaven in Business, what testimonies were highlights from this year and her perspective of growth. I also asked what she was seeing open up (where is our favor) and what she is hearing the Lord say.

Next... run this all past Janine and more specifically map out the dates and locations we will be doing workshops and retreats and other activities for the year.

FINALLY, one area we have been secretly experimenting with is intentionally and strategically giving to leaders and organizations to ignite and accelerate hope and fruitful growth of Kingdom initiatives, otherwise limited due to resources. This has included Exodus Cry - Benji Nolot, Redding City Mission, iReachAfrica - Tracy Evans, Alliance Defending Freedom, a Ukraine kingdom business group and more. We have also sponsored key individuals to attend events where they would have otherwise been excluded due to finance. OPPORTUNITY - if you want to join with us in multiplying impact by resourcing individuals and organizations limited by economics contact me or give to our registered charitable organization called The Hope Directive. You can give via paypal on Paypal.me/HopeDirective

If you have questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact me [email protected]