Why Q4 Might Be the Best Time to Prepare (Not Hire)
- MJ Rosario-Malubay
- Oct 20
- 4 min read
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed after five years in business, it’s this: Q4 has its own personality and it’s loud. 🔥
It’s the season when inboxes fill up faster than your coffee cup can empty, clients suddenly remember the projects they really want to finish before the year ends, and you start wondering how it’s October when you swear it was just March. 😂
If you’re a private practice owner, this is usually when referrals spike.
Everyone’s trying to “get in before the holidays,” and your calendar starts to look like an overbooked flight.
If you’re a service-based or product-based business owner, Q4 often brings high demand aka more orders, more launches, more calls, more everything.
So, it’s no surprise that there are entrepreneurs who don’t hire in Q4.
They’re simply too busy keeping things running to even think about expanding their team. 💡
But here’s what I’ve also observed → The smart ones and sustainable ones use Q4 not to hire, but to prepare.
They start mapping out which areas of their business drain them the most or takes so much of their time when it could've been done by someone else.
They list the tasks they keep postponing because they “don’t have time,” in a system where they can remember!
They start spotting the gaps that, if filled, could change how they run their business in the new year.
That’s the real advantage of Q4; you can also consider it as the clarity season if you let it be. 😉
Why Most Hiring Happens in Q1 (and Why That’s Not Random)
Every year, I see the same rhythm play out. By November, most of us who are business owners are knee-deep in deadlines, family plans, and holiday events.
We're exhausted but still pushing through because “it’s just one more quarter,” or maybe if you're like me back then, "I need to get this done before the year ends." 👀
Then comes January when the energy shifts. ✨
Clients begin re-engaging, inquiries pick back up, and with fresh goals in sight, most business owners have that familiar realization: “I can’t do all this alone again.”
That’s usually when the hiring wave begins, not because the chaos has magically ended, but because there’s a conscious desire to do things differently this time.
From what I’ve seen (and personally experienced), this typically happens between mid-December and early January.
Business owners start opening up applications, setting interviews, and creating shortlists before the year officially ends.
By the time mid-January or early February rolls around, the new hires begin onboarding.
👉 It’s like a collective reset; a clean slate that feels full of possibility and momentum.
It makes perfect sense, too. The holidays are behind us, routines are returning, and both business owners and their clients are finally ready to re-engage with fresh energy.
For me, this pattern became clear after my second year in business. I used to think Q1 hiring was just coincidence 🤔until I realized that almost every CEO, therapist, and service-based business owner I worked with followed this rhythm without even meaning to.
It’s become one of those unspoken business cycles that just makes sense once you’ve lived it.
So, What Can You Do Now?
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Okay, MJ, but I barely have time to breathe, let alone plan a hiring strategy,” 😱
I get it, and that’s exactly why this reminder matters.
You don’t need to make big moves right now. You just need to start noticing what you’ll want help with next year.
✍ Write down the tasks that drain your energy the most.
✍ Ask yourself which roles could make the biggest difference to your capacity.
✍ Think about what kind of person or skill set would make your business run smoother.
Then, when Q1 rolls in, you’ll already have a clear map of what (and who) you need instead of hiring reactively out of burnout.
If you need a guide to help you figure out how to approach hiring strategically, I wrote this for you:
It breaks down two hiring paths (tight budget or bigger budget), how to structure your hiring process, and how to protect your peace along the way. 🤝
So save or bookmark these two blogs because hiring is about creating space for you, your growth, and the business you’re meant to build.
Your Q4 Reminder
You don’t have to hire anyone this quarter but please don’t go into next year winging it either.
Use this quarter to get clear on what needs to shift — your systems, your structure, or your team — so that by Q1, you’re not just managing growth, you’re ready for it.
If you want guidance on how to make that happen, this is exactly where my Online Business Manager (OBM) support and Scale & Systems Studio come in.
Together, we’ll refine your structure, streamline your systems, and help you build a business that runs smoothly even when you’re not in the room.
Next year’s momentum starts with the clarity you build today.
The right support doesn’t just help you manage your business, it helps you grow into the kind of leader who builds with ease, not urgency. 💖
If you know a CEO, clinician, or founder who’s planning their next season of growth, send this their way. Gratitude (and a little surprise) is coming your way too. 🌟