Founding cohort · 2026Walk into Q4 with the plan already finished.
Q4 gets expensive when the plan gets made one promotion at a time.
Most brands don’t enter Q4 without a plan. They enter with half a plan.
There’s a revenue target. Maybe a promo calendar. But the hardest decisions are still open.
The Q4 Strategy Intensive helps you step back, look at the quarter as a whole, and make those decisions before you’re reacting to the next campaign.
The Q4 Strategy IntensiveA better Q4 starts before the promotions do.
A focused planning intensive for brands that want to get Q4 right before the quarter gets away from them.
We’ll work through the revenue, offers, promotions, marketing calendar, and the decisions that shape the quarter.
Because a stronger Q4 isn’t just about more revenue.
It’s about growing revenue without sacrificing the margin that makes the growth worthwhile.
THE FORMATFive sessions. Here's what each one covers.
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An honest look at what's worked and what hasn't, plus a full read on where things stand today, AOV included.
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Using your numbers, we’ll build out what you actually need to hit your revenue goal: AOV, traffic, conversion rate. Then we get into promotional strategy, including merchandising and limited time offer ideas.
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Build the real marketing calendar together, grounded in what's already live on your site and channels.
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We’ll share some of our favorite Q4 email strategies and bring in a trusted paid media partner to provide direction for how paid media can support the plan.
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Each brand gets time in the room to present and pressure test their plan as a group before you walk out with it.
Sessions run about 90 minutes, longer for the final one depending on the size of the cohort.WHO THIS IS FORWe’re looking for brands with ambitious Q4 goals and no interest in winging it.
- ✓Already have meaningful ecommerce revenue and historical data to work from
- ✓Expect Q4 to be one of your most important selling periods
- ✓Have a team, agency, or partners who can execute the plan
- ✕Are launching your first product
- ✕Are looking for someone to fully execute your marketing
- ✕Don't yet have enough sales history to plan from
Not the right fit for the cohort?
If you’re launching something new, want more hands-on support, or would rather work 1:1, we can talk about a private strategy engagement.
What you leave withRevenue plan
A month-by-month forecast built from your own traffic, conversion, and margin — using the same model we've built for other clients.
A completed Q4 Operating Plan.
Marketing Calendar
The quarter mapped from our proven template and filled in together — email, SMS, paid, and website promos on one dated grid.
Promotional Strategy
The offers you’ll run, how aggressive you can afford to be, and the margin floor you won’t cross.
A Phased Roadmap
What needs to happen and when, mapped to Q4's key moments — recommendations your team executes, not a rigid schedule.
Plus paid media direction and email strategy and the tactics behind the plan, not just the plan itself.WHAT YOU KEEPA toolkit you'll use beyond Q4
You’ll also keep the working tools behind the plan:
Revenue Projection Model
Promotion Framework
Q4 Email Playbook
Campaign Brief
Planning Calendar
GTM Checklist
The exact repeat purchase flow we use to get a second order out of first time holiday buyers. Most brands leave this money on the table entirely.
We won't leave you with a folder of templates and a list of ideas.
Our GuaranteeIf you've done the work and your plan still isn't complete by the final session, we'll schedule an additional completion session at no cost.
Who’s Behind This15+ years helping brands grow.
Early in my career, I spent years inside agencies and executive teams working with brands like Hallmark, Hyatt, Lee Jeans, Timberland, and AMC Theatres. I learned how strong brands prioritize, align teams, make difficult tradeoffs, and build growth strategies that last.
Now I bring that same big-brand thinking to founder-led and mission-driven brands where the stakes are just as high, but the teams and resources are often smaller.
Most recently, I served as Fractional Head of Growth for Sock Religious during a +23% revenue growth season, helped OréMoose rebuild its ecommerce revenue system driving +87% growth, and led annual strategic planning across multiple Augustine Institute business lines.
Through Saltwork Strategy, I help brands make the right plan before execution gets expensive and apply the kind of strategic discipline that helps them punch above their weight class.
The Q4 Intensive brings that same caliber of strategy into a focused small-group format built for brands that want senior-level thinking without a full private engagement.
— Pat Padley, Founder of Saltwork StrategyFOUNDING COHORT PRICINGFive live strategy sessions, the working frameworks and facilitation, and your completed Q4 Operating Plan. Inaugural pricing for the first cohort only — future cohorts are expected to begin at $4,500.
Add two private 60–90 minute strategy sessions. This is for brands that want more direct support, more time focused on their specific business, and more hands-on help building the plan.
Fill out the form and answer a few questions about your brand and your Q4 — takes about five minutes.
A short conversation to confirm this is the right room for you, less than 30 minutes.
If it's a good fit, you're invoiced and we'll work out the schedule with the cohort.
You walk in and the plan starts getting built.
Details & Investment
Apply for the Founding Cohort
No payment now. Accepted brands are invoiced before the first session.
I read every application myself, and session dates are announced once you're accepted.
Five seats, one cohort. Apply before they are filled.
By applying you also agree to occasional emails from Saltwork Strategy, including insights on the industry and updates about our services. No spam, ever.
QUESTIONSFrequently Asked Questions
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No. It's a facilitated strategy engagement. You get five live working sessions where you make real decisions with your plan in hand.
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The goal is to build a room where the brands are at a similar enough stage that the work is useful for everyone. The application helps us confirm fit, avoid direct competitors, and make sure the cohort is a good use of your time.
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We keep the group small, avoid seating direct competitors together, and ask every participant to treat shared business information as confidential. You’ll never be required to disclose anything you’re not comfortable sharing.
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Five live sessions will run across roughly 3 weeks. We’ll finalize the schedule with the accepted brands and confirm all dates before the Intensive begins.
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All sessions are recorded, but this is built around live participation, not passive viewing. If your schedule can't realistically accommodate most of the five sessions, this probably isn't the right time for you.
Session dates are set after the cohort is filled, based on what works for the brands in the room, so there's some flexibility in finding times that fit before we lock the calendar.
If it still doesn't line up, reach out. We're happy to talk through how Saltwork could help you outside the cohort format.
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The founder, CEO, or whoever owns final decisions on revenue, promotions, and marketing direction.
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A short conversation to see if it’s a right fit, then acceptance and an invoice before onboarding. Our goal is to keep the room made up of founders at a similar stage of growth.
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You leave with a complete plan your existing team or agency partners can execute. This is planning and decision-making, not ongoing execution.
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This is the first run of the Intensive, so founding participants get founding pricing. Once the format's proven, future cohorts begin at $4,500+.
Walk into Q4 with the plan already finished.
Five seats are open, is one of them yours?
Is your organization at a turning point? If you’re navigating growth, change, or an important decision, let’s talk.
Book a free 30-minute call.