Some Thoughts on Annual Planning 2023
Some high-level thoughts about how CFOs of technology companies should be thinking about their annual planning ahead of 2023.
Last week we hosted an event for our portfolio CFOs, where Scale Partner Rory O'Driscoll talked through some of the key considerations when approaching annual planning this year, especially in the context of today's volatile market conditions.
In addition to the video recording of Rory's talk above, you can view the slides that were presented below.
A couple of quick highlights:
- The CFO Dilemma this year is balancing valuation and cash while preserving the upside and dealing with economic uncertainty
- Q3 was a tough quarter, but there was variance across individual companies, with some being hit hard while others did OK
- Don't limit your upside by being overly conservative in planning for next year. That said, keep a Plan B in your pocket in case the downturn continues to get worse
- Depending on your customer base, there's a possibility for a churn explosion next year that you should factor into your plan
- Going into 2023, executives need to be on the same page with the Board on the plan for next year. To aid this, it's important to be aligned internally and ground your Board in the high-level facts
Remember to check out our Annual Planning Hub for more helpful tools and resources.
Originally published May 30, 2023.