Write a letter to yourself, dated five years from today. Describe the firm you're running, the clients you serve, the team around you, and the life the firm supports.
Why a letter, not a plan
Strategic plans are documents firms create and then ignore. A letter is personal. It's written in your voice, about your life, and it's addressed to someone you care about — future you.
The specificity is what makes it work. Don't write 'grow the firm.' Write 'we serve 80 clients in the $2M–$10M revenue range, with a team of six, and I take Fridays off from May through September.'
What to include
- Revenue and profit targets — specific numbers, not ranges
- Client profile — who do you serve, and who have you stopped serving?
- Team — how many people, what roles, what does the org chart look like?
- Your role — what do you spend your days doing? What have you stopped doing?
- Lifestyle — hours, travel, flexibility, compensation
The exercise
Block 90 minutes. No phone, no email. Write the letter longhand if you can — it forces slower thinking.
When you're done, put it in an envelope and give it to someone you trust. Ask them to hand it back to you in one year. Read it then and ask: am I closer or further away?
The firms that drift are the ones that never decided where they were going. The letter is the decision.
One more thing
Share it with your partners if you have them. If your five-year letters describe different firms, you need to have that conversation now — not in year three when it's too late to course-correct.