The Q4 Reset: A Simple Planning Routine for Women Entrepreneurs

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Sometimes I feel like my vision board is laughing at me. I spend December pulling together the words and visuals that I want to represent my successful year ahead, and then my graphic designer turns them into an aesthetic, on-brand masterpiece. Optimally-sized versions of my vision board grace my wall, desktop and mobile so that it’s being fed to my subconscious countless times throughout the day.

But then by the time the year is rounding out and Q4 planning season begins, more and more I notice all the things that haven’t happened yet. Of course the easy thing is to feel a bit deflated, but I pride myself on being quick with what author Mimi Bouchard calls a Bounce Back Rate™: the faster you can reframe failure and keep going, the more unstoppable you become.

My 2025 vision board - most of it was realized!

Both my gut and my calendar tell me: it’s time for a Q4 reset.

For many founders Q4 means it’s the end of the year, but for me in the stationery business, it’s my January. Back-to-school has just wrapped, Black Friday is coming up, holiday gifting is around the corner, and then of course January is New Year, New You season. 

After what honestly is a slow summer season, I’m itching to turn the dial up. Here’s how I do my Q4 reset routine.

What is a Q4 Reset?

A Q4 reset is that time of year where as business owners, we sit down in the final quarter of the year to go through what worked, what didn’t, finish strong, and figure out what’s next. For most women entrepreneurs, Q4 planning takes one focused morning and covers four things: a Q3 recap, a Q4 priorities list, one clear end-of-year goal, and maximizing the resources you have available. Armed with my Female Founders Journal (the therapist-approved guided journal for women entrepreneurs that I created), my Simplified Planner, and my Google calendar, I review and recap the last three months and then come up with my priorities, get clear on my end-of-year goal and plan out how I’ll maximize my resources. 

My Four-Part Q4 Reset Routine

1. Q3 Recap

A former coach shared with me ‘Start with intention and end with an audit.’ That simple sentence has shaped how I move through my days, weeks, months and years. It’s a practice I put into my quarterly reflections as a female founder. I look back to see what my intention was for the previous quarter, and then I sit down with my Emily Ley Simplified Planner and write out what I learned, which events I attended, and my various accomplishments. 

Of course, having a brand that’s all about turning self-doubt into self-belief and pushing past imposter syndrome, it’s a HUGE priority for me to celebrate my wins. In the Female Founders Journal, the daily pages end with the exact same journaling prompts every day: “Today I’m proud of myself for ______________.”  Since I’m in the habit of reflecting and writing on this daily, it’s easy to flip back through the pages and acknowledge all the positive moments that would have been easy to overlook if I didn’t document them daily. 

I also take the time to audit my Q3. It would be unrealistic to just focus on the sunshine and rainbows, it’s also important to understand what didn’t work and to assess why so that there’s an opportunity to course-correct.

2. Q4 Priorities List

The best way for me to avoid feelings of overwhelm is to create a brain dump - grab a blank piece of paper and jot out all the things that I need/want to do that are swirling in my head. Once I’ve gotten them all out, then I can start categorizing them, prioritizing them, and making sense of that huge jumble. 

I remember hearing the quote “If you have more than three priorities, you have none,” so I take that mental laundry list and pull out my Big Three.

My Big Three are usually needle movers that’ll create a significant shift for the business overall, like an email list growth goal, a specific number of orders I want to hit, or a specific product to launch.

3. Drill down to an End-of-Year Goal

After my brain dump and getting clear on my Big Three, then comes the BIG question:

“If I could achieve ONE thing before the end of the year, what would that be?”

Now, because the morning pages of the Female Founders Journal, the mindset journal for entrepreneurs that I designed, begin with “My vision is ________________,” my North Star is positioned in front of me every single day. That means I’m always connected to and aligned with the WHY of my business. I didn’t wake up today just to respond to emails, there’s a big vision that I have a goal of fulfilling. 

As I’m thinking about that ONE thing (also a great book!) to achieve before the end of the year, I want to ensure it’s aligned with my vision.

Now, my brain has gone from feeling scrambled to laser focused.

4. Maximize Resources

Omigoodness am I ever grateful to be married to my husband with a full-time job and health benefits while I’m bootstrapping this business! At the end of the year, I’m checking out my insurance benefits to maximize them: how many more massages can I squeeze in? A trip to the dentist? Physio? I try not to let anything I’m interested in go unused. 

Same goes for business! Is there anything I need to spend on before the year wraps for a tax benefit? (You go ask your own accountant to be safe, not me!) For example, every month my credit card bill has a bunch of female founder community membership fees (I must be in at least 10!). Are there any annual memberships coming up on expiry? How can I make the most of that community before deciding whether or not to rejoin? How about SaaS products? Or coaches and courses? Anything to re-evaluate there?

I can be guilty of wanting to jump from one thing to the next so this practice is key for supporting me in making the most of what I’ve got.  It’s also when I decide which tools I’m going to bring into January, whether that’s a course, business coach, or wink wink, a business mindset journal to plan the next quarter in 😉.

How Long Should a Q4 Reset Take?

For me, I can get my Q4 reset done in one focused morning, roughly two to three hours. I love using both paper and digital tools to stay organized so I gather them up for my review and planning. 

In my office, I love having monthly wall calendars up so I can see the full quarter overview in front of me (colour-coded, of course), then tap into my daily planner, digital calendar, and Female Founders Journal to review the details.

Once that audit’s complete, I can focus on creating clarity around my Q4 priorities, end of year goal, and optimize my available resources. 

Turning a Reset Into a Habit

This has been a year of systems. I thought systems were boring until a CEO said ‘Every system you implement in your business makes it more valuable,’ so now I LOVE them. Creating systems makes having repeatable habits super easy. 

Thanks to my habit of journaling daily in the Female Founders Journal, I’m practicing our therapist-approved PEARL framework every evening: celebrating my Progress, Evolution, Accomplishment, Reinforced Positivity, and Lasting Gratitude. The Female Founders Journal is a 90-day guided journal for women entrepreneurs that has more than 180 unique daily prompts. It’s the only therapist-approved guided journal made specifically for female founders. Order your Female Founders Journal.

By reflecting on a PEARL of wisdom every day, I’ve created a daily habit that’s NBD to put into practice on a quarterly basis.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Should I Do a Q4 Reset?

Personally, I’m going to do my Q4 reset on the first of the month. I’m practically itching for 11:59 on the last night of the month so I can run my monthly analytics (thanks Claude!) so I like to start immediately and feel like I’m ahead of the eight ball.

Do I Need a Special Planner or Journal to do a Q4 Reset?

Do you need it? No. Does it make it a lot easier? Absolutely. 

Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday. Never mind one small, positive win in business that I’d overlook because it doesn’t feel like ‘enough’. It’s why I journal as a business owner. Since all my events and tasks are written in my physical planner and since my wins and growth are tracked in my Female Founders Journal, I don’t spend time racking my brains trying to do any recaps. Everything has already been documented.

What’s the Difference Between a Q4 Reset and Setting New Year Goals?

When I think about a Q4 reset, it feels reflective and grounded. Alternatively, New Year Goals are aspirational and forward thinking; there’s so much optimism with a fresh year ahead. 

How Do I Celebrate My Q3 Accomplishments Before My Q4 Reset?

Come to the Q3 Wins Party I’m hosting on October 9th!

At the start of every quarter, I host a Zoom party for female founders where we slow down and actually look at how far we’ve come since January. NO goal-setting. Only self-reflection and celebration in a room full of female founders who are ready to give themselves some well-deserved credit.

It's free and open to anyone, so come join us!