The Q4 Checklist Every Founder Needs!
You can take the COO out of the startup…
But you can’t stop her from making a reminder list and action plan to help startups stay on track to close out the year!
Here are 5 key initiatives to get ahead of as you head into the last few months of the year.
Did you just check the calendar and say, “But, Kathryn, it’s August, what are you talking about???”
Friends, we are 6 weeks away from October.
Which means it’s basically Halloween, which marks the beginning of holiday season where startup dreams go to die, because everyone has 3572 holiday parties to attend, 93 work projects to wrap up, and 56 deals to close…including you!
Here’s the complete checklist of things you’re likely to forget plus 4 action steps (5 minutes or less) to get ahead.
Happy New Year!
The Ultimate Q4 Checklist
1. Pipeline & Internal Deadlines
Decembers deals are sourced today.
If you sell to e-commerce or CPG, they will be in “blackout” (no changes to the website, no new technologies) starting in Oct.
Some businesses do a lot of tech buying at year end. Get on their radar now so you can capture some of their Use-It-Or-Lose-It budget dollars in December!
Regardless of the business, many of your buyers and decision makers will be taking time off. Plus, with the official and unofficial holidays, Q4 is 3 weeks shorter than other quarters (1 week for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks at the end of Dec).
Expect that in the deal cycle and timelines!
Start the urgency now.
2. Conference Planning
Speaking of deals and pipeline, have any conferences on the cal?
(cough, Venture Atlanta, cough)
Here’s your friendly reminder that the early bird gets the best meetings and (if you have a booth) has the best display, swag, and marketing campaigns!
It takes weeks (months) to do a booth design, order swag, ship supplies, coordinate a sales strategy, set up meetings, book air travel and hotels, etc.
Hosting a conference-adjacent event? Book a location and send invites now!
For the most impact, plan your follow up strategy before you leave.
Here’s the full docket of scrappy tips and timelines!
3. Customer Holiday Gifts
If you’re a regular O’Daily reader, you know I give a reminder about Customer Holiday Gifts every year.
✨✨🎁🎁 HERE IS YOUR CUSTOMER GIFTS REMINDER.🎁🎁 ✨✨
As someone who has sent Amazon Digital Gift Cards to customers in January as a “New Years Thank You,” I highly recommend you plan ahead!
Saves money, stress, and makes for a MUCH better customer experience!
4. Company Holiday Party and/or Employee Holiday Gifts
Let’s not forget the team!
“I really love these amazing people and want to something special for everyone,” you’ll say on December 20th, when the office is quiet because everyone is out for the holidays.
Restaurants and venues book months ahead for December, so if you’re having an off-site holiday party, jump on it.
(PSA: Hosting a holiday party at someone’s house is scrappy and fun. Hosting a holiday party at your office is lame.)
Ditto if you want to do some amazing holiday swag like custom Yetis or hoodies with everyone’s name.
You can do it in Nov but it will cost 2x more with a rush turnaround and rush shipping.
Here are 10 employee gift and celebration ideas to get you started and 5 *free* ways to show your appreciation anytime of year!
5. 2026 Annual Planning
Sounds insane, but as you can see with all these other things going on, it will sneak up on you!
Here’s the typical timeline:
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas/Winter Holiday Season
Frantically Close End Of Year Deals
Oh Shit What Is Our Plan And Targets For 2026
Everyone Is OOO So I’ll Just Deal With It In Jan
Team In Office On Jan 2, Asking What Are We Even Doing This Year?
I’m not saying to start planning now, but plan for planning now. Put a meeting on the calendar for early November to map out the timeline and schedule key dates.
You’ll confirm which methodology to use and incorporate key success strategies!
If you’re big enough to do an annual kickoff at an offsite location, that will need to get booked sooner than you think.
4 Actions To Take Now (5 Min Or Less!)
Are you freaking out?
Maybe you’re just thinking, “That’s nice, Kathryn, but I can barely survive this week, much less plan 3 months away.”
GOOD NEWS!
Here’s 4 simple strategies to stay on top of these items even if you can’t take action today.
1. Decide.
Is this even a strategic priority?
Just because the O’Daily (or anyone else) suggests something doesn’t mean you need to do it.
Reference your Strategic One Page Plan or use this Priority Spreadsheet to see how these initiatives fit in.
Are customer referrals your #1 lead source? Customer gifts might be a GREAT idea.
Do your customers pay you $20/mo?
Don’t spend $ and time on gifts for each of them.
Take a funny team picture and send an e-card.
2. Delegate.
Yes, you need pipeline. Glad you have a VP of Sales who owns that! Check in with them on the plan and forecast.
Does your mom want to plan the holiday party? Great. Forward this email to her and let her pour that “I’m involved because I care” energy into something besides your dating life.
Odds are someone can help with some or all of these items.
Forward this blog to the right person with a note that says, can you handle <#1> and send me the plan by <date>?
(Then Snooze this for that date as a reminder to check in.)
More delegation tips and how to avoid being the bottleneck!
3. Calendar Block.
Add a placeholder on your calendar now.
Even better: schedule a planning meeting with the key stakeholders. Having other people there will give it 10x more accountability.
You don’t have to think about your January conference now. But you do have to think about it in Oct. Put a 2 hour spot on your calendar and don’t let someone schedule over it!
Here’s how I use Calendar Blocks to plan my day and make time for strategic projects.
4. Snooze.
If you literally can’t think about this today, Snooze this email for a day and time when you can revisit.
(One of my favorite ways to stay organized is using my inbox like a to-do list!)
Admittedly, this is the most-likely-to-be-forgotten option, but I love Gmail Snooze.
After a long day, if I can’t take action or decide on an email, I Snooze it. When it pops up again, I handle it in 30 seconds.
Okay, checklist and planning nerds, what did I forget?? What end-of-year item always catches you by surprise? What strategies do you use to stay on top of long term initiatives?