The Home Stretch: 8 Business Must-Dos for Q4 to Crush 2025

Imagine it’s the bottom of the ninth inning. The game’s been long, full of surprises, but now it’s crunch time. The bases are loaded, the pressure is on, and it’s your turn at bat. This is Q4 for your business—the home stretch. The decisions you make now will determine whether you end the year with a grand slam or just a single.

Just like in baseball, Q4 is about precision, strategy, and execution. It’s the final stretch where everything counts, but it’s also the moment to set up your game plan for 2025. Whether you’ve been coasting along or battling tough competition all year, this is your chance to swing big and position your business for growth in the year ahead.

So, grab your helmet and step up to the plate—here are the eight must-do moves that’ll help you finish 2024 strong and set yourself up to crush it in 2025.

1. Reflect on 2024 Performance

Before you can map out where you're headed, you've gotta know where you've been. Think of this like scrolling back through your Instagram highlights—except instead of vacation pics and latte art, it's financial results and KPIs. (Yes, slightly less fun but 100% necessary.)

Review your financials: Did you hit your targets? Or did Q2 and Q3 throw curveballs that made you question everything??

Spot the successes and the “could-be-betters”: What worked like gangbusters? Where did you stumble? (Pro tip: Turn those stumbles into learning moments for 2025. This is where the magic happens!)

Talk to your people: Gather feedback from your team, your customers, and anyone else who matters. After all, they’re in the trenches too. They see things you might miss.

Case in point: One business I know analyzed their 2023, saw a dip in customer satisfaction mid-year, and quickly realized it was because they switched to a new supplier that messed with product quality. Because they were diligent in gathering feedback, they were able to course-correct in Q4 and finish the year stronger. This is the power of reflection!

2. Set Clear Objectives for 2025

Now that you’ve looked back, it’s time to look forward. And this isn’t just about saying, “We want to grow.” You want specific goals for 2025 that can steer your business ship in the right direction.

Break it down: Establish objectives for every time frame—weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual. It’s like plotting out your road trip. You wouldn’t drive across the country without mapping the gas stations, would you? (No, because that’s a recipe for running out of gas in the middle of nowhere.)

Make it real: Ensure your goals are measurable and attainable. Saying “We want to increase revenue” is vague. Saying, “We’re increasing revenue by 15% by targeting mid-market customers through strategic partnerships,” is the kind of clarity that drives results. Make sure you have a clear picture of what products drive revenue and profit.? Make strategic decisions regarding which ones you push, hold steady, and, yes, even bench.

Prioritize impact: Focus on what’s going to move the needle. The last thing you need is to get bogged down in busy work.

3. Develop Action Plans

You’ve got your goals. Now, it’s time to turn those dreams into a roadmap for success. Otherwise, they’re just that—dreams.

Get specific: Outline the tactics you’ll use to achieve your objectives.?

Delegate: Assign ownership of each task to team members. This isn’t a solo game—you’ve got a team! Empower them.

Budget accordingly: Nothing drains momentum faster than running out of resources halfway through the game.

Real-world story: A SaaS company I worked with created a brilliant new service offering but failed to assign a clear project leader. The result? A bunch of bright ideas but zero execution. When they finally got serious and delegated responsibility, things took off—sales surged, and they hit their annual goal in just eight months.

4. Prepare Your Budget

Speaking of budgets… your 2025 success depends on a solid financial plan. And no, this isn’t just an exercise in number-crunching. It’s about planning where your dollars will drive growth.

Forecast realistically: Use your 2024 data to make informed projections for 2025.

Invest in growth: If you’re eyeing expansions or new product lines, budget for that. And, budget for the product or service strategy you want to implement. (Look at the chart below to get you thinking.)

Expect the unexpected: Build in contingencies. Because, spoiler alert, something unexpected will happen (hello, 2020 anyone?).

5. Review and Optimize Operations

Before the clock strikes 2025, take a hard look at your operations. Are you running as efficiently as you could be? Or are there leaks in the boat?? Ideally, you’ll have your plan in place no later than the end of November, but November 1 is better.

Technology check-up: Is your tech stack serving you, or do you have cobwebbed software weighing you down??

Process streamlining: It’s time to Marie Kondo your processes. What’s working? What’s slowing you down? Eliminate the bottlenecks and watch your productivity soar.

Inventory and supply chain review: If you’ve got physical products, ensure you’re optimizing how they get to customers. Delays kill trust, and that’s hard to win back.

Take Ikea, for example. After experiencing supply chain disruptions, they invested in upgrading their logistics network and diversifying suppliers. This allowed them to reduce delays and keep customer trust intact, even during periods of high demand.

6. Plan Marketing and Sales Strategies

Your marketing and sales teams will be the dynamic duo propelling your business forward. But you’ll need more than just a vague “let’s boost sales” approach.?

Know your audience: What trends are they following? What do they want? (Hint: Customer behavior is always shifting, so stay nimble.)

Create your marketing calendar: Lock in the big campaigns, product launches, and key dates. This isn’t just about “doing marketing”—it’s about being strategic.

Set sales targets: Define what success looks like. How much, by when, and through what channels?

7. Engage Your Team

Your business plan for 2025 won’t succeed without the full buy-in from your team. After all, they’re the ones who’ll be making it happen on the ground.

Get input from all levels: Involve employees in the planning process. You’d be surprised at the fresh insights that come from the people closest to the action.?

Google excels here with its practice of "20% time," where employees can spend a portion of their workweek on projects they're passionate about. This approach has led to innovative products like Gmail and Google News, demonstrating the power of involving team members in shaping the company's direction.

Communicate clearly: Make sure everyone knows the vision, the plan, and how they contribute to achieving it. A well-informed team is an empowered team.

Keep them motivated: Plan for ways to keep engagement high. From incentives to development opportunities, a motivated team is a high-performing one.

8. Build in Flexibility

And finally… b r e a t h e. Yes, planning is critical. But if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we need to be adaptable. Things will change, and you need to be ready for that.

Scenario plan: Brainstorm different possible outcomes, from the best to the worst. Having a few plans in place will make pivoting easier if (when?) something unexpected hits.

Set review points: Don’t wait until the end of Q4 2025 to realize you need to tweak your plan. Check-in regularly and make adjustments as needed.

Wrapping Up: Prepping for 2025 Like a Pro

Planning for the future of your business can feel a little like prepping for a marathon—you wouldn’t just lace up your shoes the morning of the race, would you? No way. You’d map out your training, strategize your hydration plan, and maybe even dream about the finish line glory (and snacks). Business planning is no different.

But beyond the planning, the goals, the metrics, and the contingencies, here’s the real secret: your team is your superpower. Engage them, involve them, and make sure they know how much their insights matter. After all, your vision for 2025 is only as strong as the people behind it.

In the end, business is about growth—growth in profits, growth in market share, growth in your team’s potential, and growth in the way you approach challenges. Your 2025 plan is the blueprint for that growth, but it’s not written in stone. It’s a living, breathing document that evolves as your business does.?

And if you’ve got that plan in place, trust me: when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, and the confetti settles, you’ll be more than ready to hit the ground running in 2025.

Because you, my friend, are prepared. And when preparation meets opportunity, that’s when businesses don’t just survive—they flourish.?

Do you need a pinch hitter on your team? Do you want to discuss (strategize) your 2025 game plan? Put us in, coach. We’re ready!