Groundworks.

Planning Library · Rhythm pillar

Annual planning cadence.

The 10-step September–January rhythm for updating Northstar, financial plan, and goals. Adapted for a solo pre-open founder now; staged for Phase C when there's a team.

Live Adapted (solo) Staged (Phase C)
Sept → Jan

At a glance.

Sept
Draft Northstar
Oct
Financial plan
Oct–Nov
Team goals
Nov
LT offsite
Dec
Board approval
Jan
CKO · Individual goals · Reviews

Builder-mode adaptation. Pre-open, the founder plays every role in this cadence — LT feedback (Step 2), team goals (Step 4), and CKO (Step 8) don't apply yet. What is live now: drafting Northstar, running the financial plan, and getting board approval before Jan 1. See The Founder's Job for the Builder-vs-Scaler mindset behind this.

Steps 1–10

The 10 steps.

Step 1

Draft next year's Northstar

Live
When
September
Who
Founder (with co-founder or #1/#2 once hired)
  • Revisit mission, values, vision (3/5/10-yr).
  • Revisit 3-yr strategy.
  • First-draft top-3 annual WhyGos + 'why' statements.
  • First-draft measurable outcomes (≤3 per goal).
  • First-draft metrics with pace targets.
/northstar
Step 2

Get initial feedback from Leadership Team

Staged (Phase C)
When
Late September
Who
Founder + LT
  • Share Northstar draft with LT before wider circulation.
  • Collect written feedback + async comments.
  • Reconcile disagreements before financial plan starts.
Step 3

Draft annual financial plan

Adapted (solo)
When
October
Who
Founder (later: Finance lead)
  • Set drivers/assumptions (see §0.5 framework).
  • Build revenue, COGS, opex, headcount by month.
  • Model 3 scenarios: base / stretch / conservative.
  • Reconcile against Northstar outcomes.
/financials §0.5
Step 4

Draft team-level goals

Staged (Phase C)
When
October–November
Who
Each team lead, cascading from company WhyGos
  • Each team drafts top-3 goals tied to a company WhyGo.
  • Draft outcomes + owners.
  • Circulate for LT review before offsite.
Step 5

Host leadership team offsite

Staged (Phase C)
When
November
Who
Founder + LT
  • Pressure-test Northstar + financial plan.
  • Align on top-3 company goals.
  • Sequence team-level goals against capacity.
  • Assign owners for kickoff prep.
/governance
Step 6

Get board approval of company goals & financial plan

Adapted (solo)
When
December
Who
Founder → Board
  • Present Northstar + plan at Q4 board meeting.
  • Capture board feedback → revise.
  • Secure written approval before Jan 1.
/governance
Step 7

Finalize team goals · draft individual goals

Staged (Phase C)
When
December
Who
Team leads + managers
  • Lock team-level top-3 after board approval.
  • Managers draft individual top-3 with each report.
  • Ensure line-of-sight from individual → team → company.
Step 8

Host annual company kickoff (CKO)

Staged (Phase C)
When
Early January
Who
Everyone at the org
  • Present Northstar refresh + plan to the full team.
  • Celebrate prior-year wins.
  • Set tone + rhythm for the year.
Step 9

Finalize individual goals

Staged (Phase C)
When
January
Who
Managers ↔ reports (in 1:1s)
  • Lock top-3 individual goals per person.
  • Wire goals into personal dashboards.
  • Confirm review cadence.
/onetoones
Step 10

Finish reviews, pay & promotions

Staged (Phase C)
When
January
Who
Managers + Founder
  • Close out prior-year reviews.
  • Calibrate pay changes + promotions.
  • Communicate decisions in 1:1s.
Legend

Status.

Live Running now, pre-open.
Adapted (solo) Runs in a scaled-down solo form until the team exists.
Staged (Phase C) Documented, but activates in Phase C once there's a team.
Related

See also.