It's goal setting season! As small business owners who are tackling a lot of decisions in our business, this is a big one that often comes with a lot of pressure. In this episode I'm sharing a snippet from a live planning series I hosted all about Resilient Business Planning and I don't want anyone to miss out on this part. Setting a realistic-for-you goal is critical to your business success and I'm sharing the step-by-step process.
*This content is a small snippet of my Resilient Business Planning Course. Get access to the entire course which includes 2 additional modules to help you actually achieve your business goal by using the link below:
**This was also a podcast episode (episode #219). If you'd like to listen to this conversation, use the link below.
Where We Go Wrong With Goal Setting As Small Business Owners
There are 2 things that we do incorrectly when we sit down to set your small business goal but now that you know it, you can work with it:
We plan for "ideal" instead of "realistic"
We set the goal and then put it on the calendar instead of
Step By Step Realistic Small Business Goal Setting
This all starts with being HONEST about what you truly want in your small business. So often we set a goal based on what others say/suggest we should want but it's critical to know what you truly desire in your business.
"I need you to really, really, really want the goal you set but I also want you to do decide to commit to this goal too. When you decide, you'll figure out how to make it happen but if you don't, you'll get distracted by anything." - Amanda McKinney
Step 1: Identify EXACTLY How Much Time You Have To Work On Your Small Business
Instead of picking a goal and then plotting it on the calendar, you first need to identify how much time you have to work on your goal. While we've already narrowed it to 90 days, you don't work on your small business every day (or at least, that's not your goal!) so you need to assess the time you actually have.
"We have to look at our calendar first before we set the goal because chances are, you think you have more time than you do." - Amanda McKinney
Here are the steps to identifying how much time you actually have.
Identify beginning and end days (ex: Oct. 18 - Dec. 23)
Cross off weekends, vacation days, days filled with appointments, anything that will take you away from work
Check again to ensure you've accounted for everything (ex: lunch with a friend, etc.)
After you review your calendar, make sure you know the EXACT days you have to work towards your goal.
"This is the aha moment. If you set a goal before looking at your calendar, you're setting yourself up for failure because you set a goal thinking you have 90 days but you actually have 43 (or whatever amount you have)." - Amanda McKinney
Step 2: Identify Your 90 Day Business Goal
Now that you know how much time you have, you can now accurately set a goal for that time period.
Two questions to help set your specific goal:
What so I want to (and decide to) accomplish in my business?
What can I realistically do in the next XX days to get closer to that goal?
"Ask yourself what you want, and are willing to commit, to accomplish in your business in this time period." - Amanda McKinney
Example:
Business Goal = Sell more in my business / Double my revenue / Make $X month/annual
90 Day Goal = Create a revenue tracking system and input all data from 2023 by December 31, 2023.
*If you're looking to focus on your finances and have a more profitable small business, check out my Profit Intensive where we work together to ensure that this happens.
Step 3: Identify The Metric You Will Track For Your Business Goal
In order to truly set yourself up for success, you need to take this one step further by identifying a specific metric you'll track on a weekly basis. The more you're tracking and paying attention to this metric, the more likely you are to actually achieve your goal.
"Each time someone had a specific metric they were tracking, they exceeded the goal and often exceeded it early because they were tracking it week by week." - Amanda McKinney
Options:
Percentage (ex: increase email list by 25%)
Money (ex: make $5,000 a month)
Time (ex: 2 hours towards task)
Take Away Message / Action
In order to set yourself up for true goal achieving success, you have to start by setting a realistic-for-you goal. There's a lot of noise about what you should want in your small business as an entrepreneur but only you know what you truly want and have the capacity to achieve. By setting a realistic-for-you goal, your chances of success are much higher.
Take the steps outlined in this article and set the goal that lifts your spirits and re-ignites your passion for your business.
Until next time give yourself to be realistic with your goal setting and grace along the way. I'll talk to you soon.
Let's Work Together:
DIY Resilient Business Planning Course: https://www.amandamckinney.com/plan
All podcast episodes: https://pod.link/1473751874
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book
"We have to look at our calendar first before we set the goal because chances are, you think you have more time than you do."
— Amanda McKinney
Let's Work Together!
I help women who stumbled into entrepreneurship, get out of the weeds and create a sustainable, organized business they are proud of and provides the flexibility they desire.
If that's you, let's work together!