Picture this: It’s Black Friday week. Your offer is magnetic. The vibes are on point. And then…one broken link spirals your whole launch into chaos. Yikes.

I’m willing to bet that you don’t have “launch meltdown” on your 2025 vision board. The key to surviving one, if not the, biggest sales days of the year all comes down to one thing: your backend systems. 

Yes, your marketing needs to be spot on. Yes, your offer needs to be polished to a shine. But your systems? They’re the real MVP, making sure that emails go out when they’re supposed to and those Stripe payments actually hit your bank account. Because you can’t show up for your audience when you’re trying to fix broken links, unsent sales emails, or constant team questions. 

Basically, Black Friday success isn’t about hustle or luck. It’s about systems. 

Do this Black Friday ops checklist now so you can stay calm, collected, and in charge. 

Step 1: SOP Everything (really)

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that SOPs are a game changer. Why? They cut out panic questions and decision fatigue, and create clarity. With SOPs (standard operating procedures), everybody knows exactly what they’re doing, when to do it, and how to get it done. 

If you’re starting fresh building SOPs, document processes for everything your team will need for Black Friday. I’m talking: 

• Scheduling sales emails and social media posts 
• Setting up checkout 
• Issuing refunds 
• Team member roles during launch

If you already have SOPs in place, review them. Are they accurate? Clear? Helpful? Are there new links or info to add? Do you need to add in any new SOPs?

TIP: Make SOPs even easier by recording a Loom of yourself doing the process. This way, your team can see (and follow) the process step-by-step.

Step 2: Test Your Tech

In online business, your tech is everything. And when it breaks down, especially during a major launch season like Black Friday, that’s lost revenue. Let’s make sure everything is working now, a.k.a., before the sales pour in.

• Check your funnels, both from an internal and customer viewpoint. Internally, look for broken links, wrong email tags, or wrong info. Then review as a customer. Does it make sense? Does it flow? Do any of the images/audio/media files look weird? 

• Review your payment plans. Do the links work? Are the payment plans accurate? Are they easy to find in your sales emails and pages?

• Confirm automations and integrations. Are your email automations and segments (think confirmation emails, new subscriber notes, welcome sequence) in place? Is your Zapier properly connected and working? 

The best way to test this? Do a test purchase. Go through every touchpoint with a fine tooth comb to make sure everything’s running properly as it should. Trust me on this one.

Step 3: Assign Clear Roles to Your Team

The last thing you need mid-launch is your team Slack blowing up with “Wait, I thought you were doing that?” Cut down on confusion by making sure everyone knows who is doing what way before Thanksgiving Day. 

Assign ownership for everything, including: 

• Scheduling emails 
• Monitoring the live chat
• Updating graphics when bonus carts open and close
• Responding to customer questions in the inbox
• Keeping an eye on Stripe

And not just for day-of. Make it clear which pre-launch tasks (writing sales emails, building landing pages, etc) belong to who. 

Even if it’s just you, your OBM, and your VA, designate who’s doing what. Oh, and keep track of everything in a project management tool. (The KDC team loves Clickup and Airtable!)

Step 4: Add Buffer Days

I’m not gonna lie: something will break during your launch. An email won’t go out, a link will decide to not work, a social media post will glitch. Totally normal.

The secret to not letting that glitch derail your entire launch is buffer days. Add space into your launch timeline to test and troubleshoot your systems. That way, if you discover something that needs fixing, you’re not scrambling at the last minute before you’re scheduled to go live on Instagram. 

TIP: It’s tempting to skip these sessions, but trust me: treat these buffer days like non-negotiable CEO time. By building in time now, you’re creating space for yourself later. 

Black Friday doesn’t have to be stressful. With this ops checklist, you can stay calm, confident, and focused while your systems handle the sales. If you need a hand organizing your launch, I’ve got a few slots still open for this year’s Black Friday. Click here to snag yours!