As a small business coach, I see many business owners sabotage their business goals, mine included! So, I wanted to share some tips on how to best set, and keep your goals.
But first, let’s define a goal. A goal, unlike a to-do list, should be something outside of the normal day to day operations of your business. A goal should stretch you, help set overall direction, and move your business forward.
For example, your goal for this year could be to start a blog and publish 4 articles a month. Or, it could be to increase client numbers by 30%. Maybe your goal is to network with 24 new businesses in the next 90 days or receive 12 new reviews from customers by the end of the month.
If you have trouble sticking to your goals as a business owner, here are four reasons why this might be true and what to do about it.
First...we set bad business goals.
Goals are bad when they are not clearly defined. Let’s use the blog example. If your goal is to, “start a blog” how would you know it was done? If you published one blog article, technically, the goal would be met. But, you would miss the intention of the goal.
What to do about it:
When we set goals, make sure they are measurable. You should be able to mark when the goal is complete, as well as be able to measure progress along the way. Notice all of the examples of goals above have a number that can be measured as well as a time constraint.
Second...we forget our business goals.
Maybe we have a journal that is lost in a drawer or a vision board that now blends into the wall or a document that is buried on our desktop. Whatever the reason, the goal did not get translated into daily or weekly steps. Instead, our goals stay as nice ideas we only visit once or twice a year.
What to do about it:
The key is to break down the goal into pieces that get added to our To-Do List. This keeps your goal front of mind. For our new blog writing goal, this could be broken into tasks like “creating a list of blog topics”, “writing one blog a week” or “create content calendar”.
One of the best ways to keep goals top of mind is to set a once a week appointment with yourself to evaluate your progress or do the specific work that will get you closer to your goal. Based on your goal this could be 30 minutes, two hours, or a half-day.
Third...we try to do it all.
We say yes to activities, events, or opportunities without evaluating if it is the right next step. We lack clarity on when to say yes, and when to say no. Therefore we are overwhelmed and even small tasks seem too much.
What to do about it:
When you have well-defined goals, one of the best outcomes is clarity. You will be able to evaluate activities and opportunities because you know where you are going. When the goal is broken down (from number two) into manageable steps, you will know how much time each task will take.
If you are thinking about joining a new networking group that will take 1-2 hours a week, but are already behind on daily tasks, should you join? Well, if you have a goal to write a blog each week, maybe not. But, if you are trying to increase your client numbers and this networking group is your target audience, then yes!
Fourth...we lack accountability.
If we do not have support or accountability to help us reach our goals, we easily push things off and make excuses. This creates frustration and often leads us to abandon our goals.
What to do about it:
Accountability is taking ownership. If you do not take ownership, nothing will get done. The key is to take ownership of the goal as well as the process to get you there.
Is there another business owner you can ask to meet monthly to keep each other on track? Or, can you promote your “coming soon” blog on social media so you know other people are waiting for it?
Another great option is a business coach. Business coaches can help many of the things that sabotage our forward progress. They help with setting good goals, strategy and encouragement, and most importantly: accountability.
Would love for you to comment on the best tips and tricks you have found for keeping up with your goals!
If you are interested in starting a coaching program visit amylynnecoaching.com/coaching or schedule a phone consultation with Amy here!
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Amy Lynne Coaching is located in the Twin Cities and works with solopreneurs and small business owners to help them reach their goals.