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CREATING A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR YOUR NEXT ACT
March 27, 2025 - Life After Business Transition.
We're looking for 8 courageous individuals interested in participating in a 6-part group course on setting up a detailed plan of success for post-exit career life. You can be a business owner, executive, or advisor. If that's you...
Set up a private consultation with no obligation, no selling.
The Hallmarks Defined
SPIRITUALLY ANCHORED:
- Core Concept: Connection with a higher purpose or meaning in life.
- Impact: Provides guidance, inner peace, and a sense of direction. This can be achieved through religious faith, personal values, or philosophical beliefs, offering a foundation for making life decisions and overcoming challenges.
PHYSICALLY FIT:
- Core Concept: Emphasis on exercise, nutrition, care, and physical environment.
- Impact: Enhances energy levels, cognitive function, and stress management. Physical fitness contributes to long-term health, ensuring an active and vibrant life. It also includes maintaining a supportive physical environment.
RELATIONALLY RICH:
- Core Concept: Cultivation of meaningful relationships with family, friends, and community.
- Impact: Focuses on the depth and quality of connections, not just the quantity. Meaningful relationships foster support, empathy, and mutual respect, enriching life and providing a network for support during challenging times.
EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY:
- Core Concept: Understanding and managing emotions.
- Impact: Involves recognizing and accepting feelings, fostering resilience, and maintaining a positive outlook. Emotional health is crucial for decision-making, relationships, and overall life satisfaction, contributing to a balanced and fulfilling life.
VOCATIONALLY ALIGNED:
- Core Concept: Having a career or calling that resonates with core values, interests, and skills.
- Impact: Provides meaning and fulfillment beyond financial rewards. Vocational alignment leads to job satisfaction and a sense of purpose, contributing to overall life balance and personal growth. It’s what an individual consumes their time, attention and energy.
FINANCIALLY FREE:
- Core Concept: Managing money to align with life goals and provide security.
- Impact: Emphasizes thoughtful planning, budgeting, investing, and understanding financial tools. Financial freedom allows individuals to live on their terms, reduces stress, and ensures preparedness for end-of-life issues, enhancing the ability to enjoy the later stages of life.
Build Your Support Network
There are lots of ways to build your support network. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
Curate a Personal Board of Advisors – Select 3-5 trusted individuals who can provide wisdom, accountability, and honest feedback on your transition. Include a mix of mentors, peers, and younger voices for diverse perspectives.
Join a Mastermind Group – Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who are also building their next act. Choose a group that focuses on strategic life transitions, entrepreneurship, or legacy building.
Engage a Strategic Coach – Work with a coach who understands midlife transitions and can help you refine your vision, overcome mindset challenges, and execute your plan effectively.
Reconnect with Meaningful Relationships – Identify key friends, former colleagues, or mentors you’ve lost touch with but who inspire and challenge you. Reach out and rebuild those connections.
Find a Peer Accountability Partner – Choose someone in a similar stage of transition who can meet regularly with you to exchange ideas, set goals, and hold each other accountable.
Attend Exclusive Retreats or Summits – Invest in attending high-level retreats focused on personal growth, legacy, and reinvention. Surround yourself with forward-thinking individuals.
Tap into Alumni or Industry Networks – Leverage existing relationships from your past career, business groups, or alumni circles. They can offer opportunities, partnerships, or fresh perspectives.
Engage in Philanthropy or Advisory Work – Connect with organizations or businesses where your experience can make a difference. This keeps you engaged and introduces you to influential networks.
Build a Community of Learners – Surround yourself with people who are committed to personal and intellectual growth. Join book clubs, discussion groups, or specialized learning cohorts.
Hire a Financial Strategist – Work with a professional who understands the financial implications of your transition. Ensure your wealth supports your vision, not just sustains your lifestyle.
Explore Local and Online Communities – Whether it's a leadership roundtable, local business group, or an online forum for reinvention, find spaces where dynamic conversations happen.
Leverage Social Media Strategically – Follow and engage with thought leaders, authors, and influencers who align with your new direction. This expands your access to ideas and potential collaborations.
Create a Personal Advisory Newsletter – Start a private email list or group where you share insights and updates on your journey. It will keep you connected to your network in a meaningful way.
Mentor and Be Mentored – Find someone you can guide, and someone who can guide you. Being both a mentor and mentee keeps you sharp and engaged in growth conversations.
Regularly Audit Your Network – Every six months, assess who is adding value to your journey and where new connections might be needed. Intentionally seek out those who align with your evolving goals.
Suggested Reading
Life By Design by Scott Couchenour
Offers a strategic roadmap for business owners in their later career stages to find clarity, freedom, and lasting impact. Drawing on decades of experience, Couchenour blends practical coaching with a personal, values-driven approach to help readers build a fulfilling legacy in their "fourth quarter."
Offers a practical guide to building better habits and breaking bad ones through small, consistent changes. Clear explains how tiny adjustments, when compounded over time, lead to remarkable results. The book is grounded in behavioral science and provides actionable strategies for mastering the systems that drive long-term success.
The Values Factor by Dr. John Demartini
Explores how aligning your life with your highest values leads to greater fulfillment, purpose, and achievement. Demartini explains how to identify your true values and use them as a compass for decision-making and goal-setting. The book blends psychology, philosophy, and personal development to help readers live more intentionally and effectively.
The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington
Introduces a system that replaces annual goal setting with a 12-week execution cycle to increase focus and productivity. The authors argue that thinking in shorter time frames creates urgency, clarity, and consistent action. The book provides a framework for setting goals, measuring progress, and building accountability to achieve more in less time.
All It Takes Is a Goal by Jon Acuff
Breaks down the process of turning ideas into action by focusing on achievable, meaningful goals. Acuff combines humor with practical advice to help readers overcome overthinking, procrastination, and fear. The book provides a clear path for building momentum and making consistent progress toward the life you actually want.
Sample Ideal Hallmark Statements
Here are some ideas to stoke your creative juices:
SPIRITUALLY ANCHORED
- A deep sense of peace regardless of circumstances
- Clarity in decision-making aligned with values
- A consistent sense of meaning and direction
- Resilience in the face of suffering or loss
- Freedom from chasing status or external validation
- A life guided by convictions, not just convenience
- A grounded identity that doesn’t shift with roles or seasons
- Confidence in the legacy being built
- A sense of inner strength during uncertainty
- A daily rhythm that fosters reflection and growth
PHYSICALLY FIT
- Sustained energy throughout the day
- Ability to participate fully in activities you enjoy
- Fewer health-related limitations or interruptions
- Improved focus and mental clarity
- Lower risk of chronic illness
- A body that supports your goals, not limits them
- Confidence in physical appearance and capabilities
- Restful, restorative sleep most nights
- Fewer doctor visits and medical dependencies
- A longer healthspan, not just lifespan
RELATIONALLY RICH
- A strong support network during hard times
- Deep, meaningful friendships
- A marriage or partnership built on trust and respect
- Regular connection with family or chosen family
- Peace in past relationships, even if boundaries are in place
- People around you who celebrate your wins and walk with you in losses
- The ability to have hard conversations without fear
- A life filled with shared moments and memories
- Reduced loneliness or isolation
- A sense of being truly known and loved
EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
- Emotional steadiness through highs and lows
- Lower stress and anxiety levels
- An inner calm even when life is chaotic
- Healthy coping mechanisms for disappointment or grief
- Less conflict driven by reactivity
- Improved communication and self-awareness
- A life not ruled by fear, anger, or guilt
- Freedom from unresolved emotional baggage
- Ability to enjoy the present moment
- A sense of confidence in navigating inner life
VOCATIONALLY ALIGNED
- Work that feels like a calling, not a chore
- Fulfillment and meaning from daily tasks
- Clear connection between gifts and impact
- A career or business that reflects personal mission
- Freedom to say no to misaligned opportunities
- Consistent motivation and focus
- A work-life rhythm that feels sustainable
- Recognition and influence in your area of strength
- Confidence you're building something that matters
- Progress toward legacy goals through your vocation
FINANCIALLY FREE
- No consumer debt weighing you down
- A well-funded emergency reserve
- Freedom to give generously and spontaneously
- Flexibility in life and career decisions
- Enough income to support the lifestyle you’ve designed
- Confidence in retirement and legacy plans
- Ownership over time and choices, not tied to a paycheck
- Minimal financial stress in relationships
- Assets growing faster than liabilities
- The ability to invest in others, not just survive
5 Tips For Better 90-Day Sprints
You've done all the work to design your plan. Now it's time to execute. Here are 5 things to consider when making the most of your 90-day sprint cycles.
1. Clarify a Single Strategic Objective
Choose one primary outcome that matters most. Make sure it aligns with long-term goals and has clear metrics for success. Avoid splitting your focus—this keeps you sharp and committed.
2. Break It into Weekly Milestones
Reverse-engineer your 90-day target into 13 weekly checkpoints. Each week should move the needle. This helps you track progress, spot issues early, and course-correct in real time.
3. Time Block Non-Negotiables
Protect deep work with dedicated time blocks. Prioritize the work that drives results over the work that just fills the calendar. Treat these time blocks like mission-critical meetings.
4. Run a Weekly Review and Reset
Every week, assess what worked, what stalled, and what to fix. This rhythm keeps momentum high and reduces drift. Make adjustments fast rather than waiting for the quarter to end.
5. Limit Inputs, Expand Execution
Cut the noise—say no to anything that doesn't support your 90-day goal. Fewer distractions, fewer new ideas, more action. Focus builds speed, and speed compounds over 90 days.
A Commentary On IMPACT
We don’t get to choose how much time we have, but we do choose what we do with it. The impact we make—through our resources, experience, and wisdom—isn’t about legacy in the ego-driven sense. It has to do with stewardship. The years, insights, and advantages we’ve gained weren’t meant to end with us. They were meant to flow through us.
Repeat: They were meant to flow through us.
At a certain point in life, accumulation loses its shine. What starts to matter is contribution.
The shift from “What can I get?” to “What can I give that will last?” is a mark of maturity, but also clarity. We begin to see that influence doesn’t come from noise or position—it comes from purpose. And it deepens when we pour into people, causes, and ideas that outlive our calendar.
Time is finite, resources are flexible, but wisdom is catalytic.
Wisdom takes our scars, our victories, and our failures, and turns them into something transferrable. It gives others a shortcut. It breaks cycles. It builds something worth continuing.
When we use our time and resources to amplify that kind of wisdom—whether in one life or across many—we’re creating something much bigger than ourselves.
The world doesn’t need more noise. It needs depth. It needs those willing to stand in the gap with what they’ve learned and offer it without needing applause.
That’s real impact.
Not a flash of relevance, but a quiet force that changes things. And it starts when we decide that what we’ve been given is not the end of the story—it’s the starting point for someone else’s breakthrough.
What's going to be YOUR impact on the world?
Looking for more assistance?
If you'd like to explore what your life after business might look like, schedule a no-obligation conversation with Scott. It may be all you need to get started on a fantastic post-business life.