New term thinking: September is when 2027 business strategy gets decided

As September begins, so does our financial year. Somehow I always return to that deep-seated feeling. It’s somewhere between the excitement of a ‘new term’ fresh start and the faint dread of the holidays being well and truly over, that everyone remembers from school.

For me, overall I think the excitement of renewal tends to win out, though interestingly it’s often because it’s an exciting time. Some clients are using the time to push ahead with new work, while projects we began in the spring are building towards long-planned major launches we’ve spent months preparing for

With the summer’s disrupted rhythms over, my pitch to businesses is to use this sense of new opportunities as a springboard for your own inspiration. Strategic thinking now means launches or 2027 business strategy can be set in motion. We’d love to be a part of those plans.

New energy, fresh ideas

Whenever I really need to shake out my thinking I find getting out of the office and having easier, unforced conversations helps reshape my thinking. Easy enough. But what if all your team were in that clearminded, open mental place?

As legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland once said, “the eye has to travel”. I believe what she was getting at was that seeing new places and having that sort of mental stimulus inspires new ideas.

Perhaps your team had a restful or inspiring summer holiday, perhaps they stayed local but did something completely different with their time off. As your team returns to work, there’s an interesting opportunity to harness the new term feeling. Perhaps it’s time to think anew about intransigent problems, figure out how to launch your work early in 2027 or even consider new business directions for the next two years.

Everybody knows the best ideas are born of discussion rather than staring at a blank screen hoping for the best. Whether these ideas are forged at your office or at an offsite meeting, if everyone contributes to a ‘brainstorm moodboard’ of ideas, it could be the genesis of new directions.

What ‘a September decision’ looks like

It feels as though strategic, ‘Autumn thinking’ has come early in 2026. In recent weeks we’ve been a part of ‘big thinking’ conversations with longtime clients discussing how we can work with them to deliver their business planning.

One recent example is MISA Group, a client who briefed us to implement a digital strategy with a carefully structured website that sets out their portfolio companies in a clear, ambitious way. Our approach was to create both an index to explain structure and a page per company featuring content that feels light and easy to digest, a blend of general information, KPIs, as well as direct quotes by leadership.

For another of our clients, long-planned renewal is coming to realisation this Autumn with the total rework of a corporate identity including a significant website and broad-based digital redesign, that has required months of research and work.

For your business, such a project could see implementation aligning with key events in the calendar such as an investor conference, a product launch or the announcement of an outpost in a new market next year. The main thing is to allow time and space to get the project right.

On our office wall we have a flag which says It always seems impossible until it’s done and getting to that magic point where everything changes can feel daunting. However the journey from ‘brief commissioned’ to ‘finished product implemented’ is one we’ve seen provide much-needed renewal time and again. I’d like to demystify the process and encourage embracing business differentiation and the deployment of your ambition and original ideas. The lesson of the flag is that in fact, with the right experience, it’s all possible.

Building towards growth

1. What’s your timescale?
   A ‘September decision’ is a commitment to a point in the future where everything changes. For some clients that inflection point is a hard deadline, for others it’s a case of being ready when it’s finished. There are no wrong answers in terms of ‘the when’, but deciding on ‘the how’ is such an important step. Even when these things are more fluid, we always try to figure out an end point by drawing a straight line from today into the future. A project process timeline is incredibly helpful in understanding how a working reality can be applied to what you want to achieve.
2. Who’s on your team?
   If there’s not enough time, that can mean there aren’t enough people involved. With a broader-based team your timelines can even tighten as there is the potential for more work to be done. I’ve even seen a project become more effective by hiring more specialists such as photographers, animators or videomakers. Sometimes along the way, what some see as ‘scope creep’ is seizing an opportunity. Visionary business ideas need smart, experienced people who understand such an undertaking and how to rationally deploy the tasks along the way.
3. What’s your budget?
   If we’ve discussed time and team, the remaining big obstacle is deciding the spend. The topic agencies dread most is budget negotiation. Do they go low and try to beat everybody else or stick to their guns and trust the quality of the work they’re doing and a solid reputation? For me, that strategy isn’t the right one. A good business decision needs to be about thoughtful, smart ideas and established working relationships. No budget is infinite, but the depth of understanding of the brief and its challenges as well as the house style of the agency tends to be the decision-maker, time and again.

The right ideas, the right team, the right time

My message here is to encourage the generation of your business or project plan. It’s an invitation to fresh thinking and how to see that through, across the autumn with an exciting slate of renewal with a really thoughtful 2027 business strategy.

The new term is here and September is a once-in-a-year opportunity to consider how real growth can be built on good ideas and business momentum mid-year.

Work towards your 2027 business strategy

Richard Chapman Studio is a specialist branding and web design agency with over twenty years of experience understanding brand differentiation for B2B businesses across financial services, venture capital, legal, real estate, hospitality and beyond. To work with us, get in touch: 020 7351 4083 or email us directly.