Schedule & format
- Cadence
- 30 days, four guided work sessions
- Session length
- 60 minutes, plus a 30-minute kickoff
- Format
- Live on Zoom, small group capped at 8
- Investment
- $599 per seat
Build your backup plan in 30 days
A small group, four guided work sessions, and one practical starter system you can actually hand to someone else.
- Kickoff, four work sessions, reality check
- 60 minutes each, on Zoom
- Small group, capped at 8
If you couldn’t work tomorrow, what would happen?
The question is rarely who does my job. It is more specific than that.
- Who would know what needs to happen first?
- Who could access the systems they need?
- Who would contact your clients?
- Who would know which deadlines are coming?
- Who could keep cash, payroll, and bills moving?
- Who has authority to make decisions?
- What knowledge currently lives only in your head?
- Could someone reasonably capable keep things moving without asking you a hundred questions?
You don’t need everything documented to start. You need to know what matters most.
The distinction that matters
Documentation isn’t the same thing as continuity. A document nobody can find, understand, or use isn’t much of a backup plan.
The four-step continuity sprint
One focused work session per step. You finish the work in the session, not at midnight three months from now.
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Stabilize
What can’t wait? Identify the handful of things that would need attention in the first 24 hours, and who would touch them.
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Connect
Who needs to know? Decide who gets told what, in what order, and who has authority to make day-to-day decisions while you are out.
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Build
What would someone else need? Put the critical few things into a form another person can find, open, and follow: access, deadlines, money, client commitments.
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Test
Can they actually do it? Run one real handoff, find what breaks, and fix it while it is cheap.
How the Quickstart runs
Every cohort follows the same format. Only the dates change.
What’s included
- 30-Day Business Continuity Starter Kit workbook
- Continuity Readiness Assessment
- 30-minute kickoff session
- Four 60-minute guided work sessions
- A 30-day completion and reality-check session
- Small-group peer accountability
- Facilitated troubleshooting between steps
What owners tell us
Three situations we hear about constantly, from owners who had no plan and owners who did.
“I put off creating a backup plan for years. Then I was hospitalized for 3 weeks with no warning. I lost $15,000 in client work and nearly lost my biggest account because nobody could access my systems. Having a backup plan in place would have saved me thousands.”
“After my father passed away suddenly, I spent months trying to piece together his business affairs. As a business owner myself, I immediately created my own backup plan. The peace of mind for my family is priceless.”
“When my partner had emergency surgery, I was able to step in and keep her business running because we had completed this backup plan process. Her clients were amazed at how smoothly everything continued during her 6-week recovery.”
Who the Quickstart is for
This program is perfect for
- Solopreneurs who are the only person who knows how their business runs
- Small firm owners who need to protect their team and clients
- Service professionals with ongoing client responsibilities
- Business owners with family dependents who rely on your income
- Anyone who’s thought “I should really get this organized someday”
You’ll benefit most if
- You can commit to attending the live sessions
- You’re willing to take action during our guided work periods
- You would rather fix the right few things than document everything
- You value peace of mind for yourself and those who depend on you
Frequently asked questions
When does the next cohort run?
Cohorts run several times a year as a 30-day sprint. Dates go to the waitlist below before they go anywhere else, because the group is capped at 8.
What if I can’t make every session?
Sessions are recorded and summaries go out after each one. The value is in the live work time, so plan to attend at least three of the four.
Is this only for certain types of businesses?
The Quickstart is specifically designed for accountants, bookkeepers, tax pros, fractional CFOs, and other small business advisors running small firms serving multiple clients.
What happens after I join the waitlist?
You will get an email when dates are set, with the schedule, the price, and a link to reserve a seat. Joining the waitlist does not commit you to anything.
What makes this different from just reading a book on the topic?
The guided, interactive format ensures you actually complete your plan rather than just thinking about it. The accountability, community support, and “study hall” work periods are specifically designed to overcome procrastination on this important but often-delayed task.
Is this succession planning?
No. This is short and medium term continuity for an unexpected owner absence. It is not succession or estate planning, and it is not legal, insurance, or tax advice.
Do I need to document everything first?
No. Prioritizing comes before documenting. The point of the 30 days is to find the critical few and make those usable.
I found this through Ask-a-CPA. What is that?
Ask-a-CPA is Nancy McClelland’s membership community for bookkeepers who want to work better with the CPAs and tax pros their clients use, and Jennifer has taught a continuity workshop for its members. The Quickstart is a separate Spire Consulting Services program, open to everyone, member or not, so you don’t need to join anything to take it.
Join the Ask-a-CPA communityWho teaches it
Plan Ahead is led by Jennifer Dymond, CPA, a business continuity expert with over 15 years of experience guiding small to medium-sized sustainable businesses through financial operations. Her practical, interactive approach ensures you walk away with a functional plan.
Jennifer runs Spire Consulting Services, where the same work happens one firm at a time. The Quickstart is the group version: same material, same result, a fraction of the cost.
- Certified Public Accountant, based in Portland, Oregon
- 15+ years in financial operations for owner-led firms
- Teaches nationally at accounting conferences
Join the next Quickstart
The group is capped at 8 so every participant gets attention, so cohorts fill from the waitlist first.
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The next Quickstart is not scheduled yet
Dates are set a few times a year and go to the waitlist first. Add your email and you’ll hear the moment enrollment opens.
Get cohort announcements
A short list used for exactly one thing: telling you when the next Quickstart opens. Not a newsletter.
One email per cohort. Unsubscribe any time.