Setting Goals for Your Business
December 5, 2006
Goal setting isn’t just for large companies, it’s for all companies. Goal setting allows you to see the bigger picture that is your business and allows you to determine the direction you want to lead your business.
When goal setting, you want to keep a few important things in mind:
1. Make your goal reasonable.
Too many times I have seen a business owner say – “My goal is to make one million dollars this year.†Okay, so I haven’t seen it that often but I know it exists out there. Setting a goal such as earning a million dollars in one year is unrealistic for most small business owners. I’m not saying that it doesn’t exist but it’s just not all that realistic in the grand scheme of things. Instead, you might want to set a goal such as – “I want to increase my revenue by 10%.†Something like that may be much more attainable and you will avoid possible disappointment if you do not reach your goal.
2. Write your goal down and set a time frame.
For a goal to feel attainable, it needs to be brought to life. You can do this by keeping a white board in your office with your goals listed or perhaps keep the goals written in your journal or diary. Wherever you choose to bring them to life, make sure it is somewhere that you can look back upon often. This will help keep you motivated and want to strive to reach those goals. By setting a time frame you hold yourself accountable.
3. Make a plan.
The first step in achieving a goal is to plan how you’re going to get there. Write everything down in detail – from the onset to the outcome – and be sure that all of the steps are logical and within reason. The best part of a plan is it paints a very clear picture as to how you are going to get where you need to be in the amount of time you desire it to take. In your plan write down any obstacles you need to overcome, resources you may need to move your goal along and items you require to finalize your plan and reach that goal.
4. Celebrate when a goal is reached.
Make it something special – go for sushi if you don’t have it very often or buy yourself those Chanel boots you’ve had your eye on for awhile (unless you are male in which case I would recommend an alternative to the thigh-high Chanel boots!). Whatever it is, make sure you pat yourself on the back for getting to your goal. It is the only way you’ll stay focused enough to reach the next goal and the goal after that and the goal… you get my point.
Once you get into the rhythm of setting your goals and achieving what you set out to do, you’ll find that you work more efficiently and get more things on your “to-do” list checked off. Goal setting helps prioritize and organize - two things that we definitely all need.
If you set a few goals and reach them, drop me a line – I would love to hear about your own experiences with this and would love to post them in future issues of our newsletter.
Erin Blaskie is The VA Coach, a virtual assistant coach who assists individuals wanting to become a virtual assistant get their businesses launched successfully and efficiently. Erin is also the Owner of Business Services, ETC (A Virtual Assistance Company) that serves business owners around the world. You can visit her on the web at http://www.thevacoach.com or http://www.bsetc.ca.
Comments
Got something to say?