Plan Ahead for Subscription Box Success

Learn how to plan subscription boxes 6 months ahead, source with less stress, and stay organized with just 1–2 focused hours a month.

If you’ve ever found yourself scrambling to get your subscription box together at the last minute—you’re not alone. We’ve all been there. Yep, even me. 

But I’ll tell you what I’ve learned after curating hundreds of boxes over the years: the stress? The overwhelm? The panic buying that eats into your profit margin? Most of it can be avoided… if you start planning ahead. (Calculate profit margin and more with my FREE Subscription Box Budget Calculator!)

And I’m not talking about spending hours and hours every week.
Just one or two hours a month—focused, dedicated time—can make a huge difference. Let’s walk through how to do it.

Start with a General Plan

Before you start picking products or placing orders, take a step back and make a plan.

Inside my FREE 6 in 60 Workshop, I walk you through how to plan six months of boxes in just one hour. This is the exact method I use in my own business. And it’s the method I teach inside Launch Your Box. Because it works. 

Planning ahead doesn’t mean locking yourself into every detail—it means giving yourself a framework. Themes, color palettes, feelings. Something to come back to every time you sit down to work on your next box.

Because when we don’t have a plan, we either make decisions too quickly… or we freeze and make none at all. Neither one leads to the kind of box experience that will keep your subscribers coming back month after month.

How Far Ahead Do You Need to Plan Your Subscription Box? 

It depends on what kind of products you’re sourcing. Here’s a quick breakdown:

If you’re buying wholesale…

Plan at least 30 days ahead.

If your vendor has the item in stock, great—you may get it within a week. But if they don’t? You could be waiting up to 90 days. Give yourself some breathing room.

If you’re working with manufacturers…

You’ll want to plan 90 days out at a minimum—closer to six months if you can.

Manufacturing takes time. Samples, approvals, production, and shipping… it all adds up quickly.

If you’re doing a brand collaboration…

Think even further ahead.

When I’ve worked with brands like Kate Spade or Lilly Pulitzer, I had to plan up to a year in advance. These kinds of partnerships are amazing opportunities, but they take serious lead time.

The further out you plan, the more options you’ll have—and the less you’ll pay in rush fees, expedited shipping, or last-minute product swaps that don’t quite fit your vision.

What Happens When You Don’t Plan Ahead?

You probably already know the answer—because most of us have been there at some point.

• You end up ordering based on what’s available right now, not what’s best for your subscribers.
• You overspend (and eat into your profit margin) because you’re rushed.
• You forget important details—like branded packaging or personalized inserts—because there simply wasn’t time.
• You lose sleep (and joy) over boxes that could have been great, but ended up feeling a little thrown together.
  

I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. Trust me—planning ahead is one of those simple habits that can completely change the feel of your business and the way you feel as a business owner.

Block Out Time to Curate Every Month

Once you have your general plan in place, set aside time each month for planning. I recommend blocking 1–2 hours a month to work only on curating your upcoming boxes.

This isn’t something to squeeze in between emails and errands. It’s important enough to protect.

Not sure where to start? Check out my blog post on Time Blocking—it’ll help you carve out the time and keep it from getting swallowed by the day-to-day. 

Time blocking gets rid of distractions and increases productivity. It’s a game changer! 

So what do you do during that monthly curation time?

• Start with your next box—what’s shipping soon?
• Ask: What’s confirmed? What’s still undecided? Who do I need to follow up with?
• Review the following month(s) to keep momentum going.
• Shop wholesale sites and look for new inspiration.
• Touch base with current vendors and make new connections.
• Double-check deadlines for shipping, personalization, inserts, etc.
  

Even if you don’t finish it all in one session, you’ll have made progress.  And that’s what keeps your business growing and your boxes getting better month after month.

Don’t Try to Keep It All in Your Head

Planning is only helpful if you can track what you’ve planned. And no, sticky notes and screenshots don’t count as a tracking system.

You need an actual system—something that shows you what you’ve chosen, what’s ordered, what’s arrived, and what’s still in progress.

That’s where tools like Trello or Asana come in. These project management tools help you visualize your upcoming subscription boxes and stay on track.

Inside Launch Your Box, I show members how to turn the plans they came up with during 6 in 60 into a system that works—step by step—in our “Brainstorm to Blueprint” training. (If you’re already a member, you’ll find it in your training library!)

Whatever tool you choose, make sure it helps you answer questions like:

• What’s going in next month’s box? And the month after that?
• What needs to be ordered?
• What’s already confirmed?
• When does everything need to arrive?

If you’re relying on memory or email threads, you’re working a lot harder than you need to.

One Small Step at a Time

I’m not saying you have to start mapping out boxes 12 months from now. (Unless you’re doing a brand collaboration—then yes, start early!)

What I am saying is this:

• Start by blocking one hour this month. Use that time to review your 6 in 60 plan.
• Work through what’s coming up next.
• Follow up. Get inspired. Make decisions.
• Then do it again next month.

The more you plan ahead, the smoother your subscription box business will run—and the more fun you’ll have curating a subscription box experience you’re proud of. A subscription box your subscribers will be thrilled to receive! 

Haven’t mapped out your next six boxes yet?
Join me for the 6 in 60 Workshop and we’ll walk through it together.
You’ll leave with six months of box ideas and a whole lot less stress.