Latest / Your Dream Coach Podcast / Plan 2027 From the Dream Down: Vision-Led Business Planning
Transcript
- Your Dream Coach Podcast: Most business owners are about to plan 2027 the same way they plan 2026. Open last year's numbers, add 20%, call it a goal. And then wonder in July why nobody, including them, feels excited about it. So this year, let's start somewhere totally different. Welcome to today's episode of your Dream Coach podcast. I'm your host, Shayla Way, and today's episode is very close to my heart because it's the whole reason I wrote my book, Dream Bigger, Lead Better, which launches December 1st. And the last part of the book is called Dreams in Action. And it's about why your dreams are your greatest asset in your life and your business. And if today's episode lights you up, the book will too. You can join the launch list and the link is in the show notes. Well, it's planning season. And over the next couple of months, leaders everywhere are going to sit down to map out next year. And I want to give you a different starting point before you open a single spreadsheet. Now, this is your Dream Coach podcast, where leadership, fulfillment, and growth aren't three different goals. They're one. And I help entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders dream bigger, lead better, and build the vision, sales, and systems to get there, growing the business and the person running it. So today we'll talk about why spreadsheet up planning leaves you uninspired. The story of how a list of dreams changed my entire life and my dream down planning method. For building a 2027 plan you actually want to execute. So, how do most leaders plan? Well, here's how planning usually goes from my experience: is you look at last year's revenue, you decide on a growth percentage that feels ambitious, but safe. You break it into quarters, then months, you assign targets, and then you're done. And there's nothing wrong with numbers. I love numbers. And what we track, we can grow. But when the plan starts with the spreadsheet, the number, Becomes the point. And a number on its own is a pretty weak motivator. Nobody jumps out of bed for 18% year over year growth. So why spreadsheet up planning fails? Is what I found is that it fails for three separate reasons. One is it caps your thinking. When you start with last year, you plan from what was possible, not what's possible now. You build a slightly bigger version of the same business. The second is it disconnects the business from your life. The plan says what the business should do, but it never asks what you want your life to look like. So you hit the number and you still feel like something's missing. And the third thing is it doesn't move your team. So your people don't connect to your revenue goal. They connect to what it makes possible for the business, for the clients, and for them. And back in 2007. I went on an incentive trip with the direct sales team that I was with at the time. And part of the trip was an exercise inspired by Matthew Kelly's book, The Dream Manager. And we had to write a list of 100 dreams. 100 at first, it was hard. After about 20, you have to really think. And that's where it gets good because that's where the real dreams come out. And my boyfriend at the time, which is now my husband, Brad, wrote down a Hellcat. And which is a car, for those of you that aren't car people listening, I know I wasn't, I'm still not overly a big car person, but a Hellcat is a type of car, a Dodge Challenger. And for years that dream kept getting pushed off. And there was always a reason, always something more practical. Then a string of what felt like signs started showing up. A friend at a dealership texted me about one in the exact color and wheels. I found a golf ball in the trees when I was at a golf game that week that said the word believe. Our tax bill came in much lower than expected. And so I just decided to make it happen. Now, my father-in-law helped me hide it. And on Father's Day, I gave Brad a coffee mug with a homemade card from the kids that said, I love you, Daddy, and a key inside. And that dream sat on a piece of paper for years. And it reminded me of something I now teach every leader I work with: is what gets written down gets remembered. And what gets remembered gets planned. And so the dream down planning method. Is here's how I'd like you to plan 2027. Or at least encourage you to have a different thought about how you can really create a life by design. Is start with the dream, then work down to the numbers. So step one is dream first. Before any numbers, write a list of dreams, not just business ones, adventure, health, relationships, financial, legacy, personal growth. Aim for 50. If you're brave, go for a hundred. Don't just edit. Okay. Don't edit them and just Just write. Step number two is pick your 2027 dreams. Circle three to five that you want to make real next year across both your business and your life. Step three is ask what the business needs to make them possible. Does that family trip need a business that runs without you for two weeks? Does that dream require a certain income, a certain team, a certain amount of free time? Now your revenue goal has a reason. Step four is to build the numbers. Now open the spreadsheet. Work backwards from what the dream requires to the revenue, the sales activity, the hires, and then the systems that you need. Step five, put it on the calendar first. I plan on an 18-month calendar and the dream moments go on first. Trips, family time, the big milestones. For example, when I planned our African safari, we planned it three years out. Then the work goes around them. And if it's important, schedule it. And then step six is review it monthly. I do a regular check on my magic moments to make sure I'm actually living the plan, not just executing it. So then you gotta bring your team in after that. And here's where this becomes a leadership tool: your team has dreams too. So when you know what your people are working toward, a house, a trip, paying off debt, a promotion, you can connect their goals to the company's goals. Suddenly hitting the number means something personal for everyone. Ask each person on your team, what's one dream you want to make real in 2027? And then help them see how growing with the business helps them get there. And when people see their dreams inside your vision, they stop working for you and they start building with you. So your challenge this week is before you open up any spreadsheet for 2027. Write your list of dreams, start with 25, then circle the ones that matter most. And this is the heart of my book, Dream Bigger, Lead Better, which is launching December 1st. If you want to go deeper on your dreams to build your business and your life, join the launch list and the link is in the show notes. And if this episode inspired you, I'd love your support. On Apple Podcasts, leave a rating and a review. On Spotify, you can hit follow and give it a rating. And on YouTube, drop one of your 2027 dreams in the comments. And saying it out loud is the first step. Continue to dream bigger. So you can lead better. And I'll see you next time on your Gym Coach podcast.