The Importance of Thoughtful Goal Setting

You started your journey as an entrepreneur with a series of goals in mind. How achieve these goals can be the difference between business success and failure. Lets look at the importance of having short, mid, and long-term goals but also provide a few tips to help you stay on track. After all, people who write down specific goals are 1.2  times more successful at achieving those goals. We are all so used to everything being in our phones, you can miss the big picture view. 

Long-Term Goals

These over-arching objectives are definitely necessary. But, it's important to recognize that you can't achieve those goals overnight. If you benchmark your success and focus your daily attention on whether or not you've 'arrived,' you'll get overwhelmed and lose confidence. Instead, carve out smaller daily tasks that help you move the needle towards your bigger goal. Set these goals by the quarter and plan the work out over three months.  

Mid-Term Goals

Consider identifying more mid-term goals for yourself and your business. Write down where you hope to be at the end of each month. Maybe it's a number of new clients you hope to have signed, networking events attended or revenue generated. Even if you don’t meet all your goals, they will be substantial enough in terms of 'business wins' to boost your confidence and keep your business growth moving forward.

Short-Term Goals

Establishing short term goals should be your primary focus. Of course, you'll want to make sure they align with your mid and long-term goals. But, this roster of weekly target tasks will be the bread and butter of your business success.  Let's imagine you have a goal to land five new clients this quarter. Now, instead of hoping they'll call you for your services, design a plan to land these clients. Schedule a series of weekly tasks that will get your business on their radar. Plan precisely who and what outreach you will do to speak with enough people to get the number of targeted clients. By carving out an agenda, booking the time to complete the action items and making sure they align with your bigger goals. Don’t fall into the trap of doing more of what you like rather than what will bring in cash. Any plan is better than no plan, and remember to practice your bravery muscles, you will never know how something would turn out without trying. 

For more tips and ideas to honing your focus on immediate goal-setting, contact us!