Four Reasons Small Business Owners / Entrepreneurs Should Set Goals

This post was originally published on January 11, 2019. It has been updated as of March 3, 2020

4 Tips To Help You Achieve Your Goals in 2020

The first quarter of the year is almost over. If you’re still on the fence about the goals you want to accomplish this year, I have a few tips on how to make sure you set those goals and achieve them.

Set Lofty Goals

Setting lofty goals give you purpose. They help you focus. And if you set a huge goal, it will stay at the forefront of every decision you make in the coming year. Big, bold goals for some can be daunting, but if you break it down into small achievable steps, it will allow you to experience success along the way. Incremental achievements will help in building momentum, increasing confidence, and encouraging you to not give up along the way. The more you can break the goal down into small achievable steps, the higher your probability of achieving the ultimate goal.

Don’t Let Another Person’s Goal Determine Yours

Measuring someone else’s success can be damaging. Everyone is different. Every business is different. Even if your friend is a virtual assistant just like you are, the goals you set for your business will and should be different. If you set a goal to mirror what someone else is doing, it’s no longer your goal. Be sure the goals you set are goals you can achieve based on your business, personality, and lifestyle.

Know What Your Success Will Look Like

If you don’t know what accomplishing your goal will look like, you need to write it down now. A clear goal should have a precise result. Clear goals allow you to create concrete plans and steps to achieve that goal. You will know what that goal looks like, and you will have well thought out steps along the way. Hope is not a strategy. Increase the probability of you achieving your goal by knowing what it will look like when the year is over.

Know Why Your Goal Is Important

When you know why achieving your goal is essential, you’ll have a stronger sense of purpose to achieve that goal. This sense of purpose should keep you motivated the entire year. Things may happen along the way to discourage you, but if you know why your goal is essential, and why you want to achieve the goal, you will push through even through the rough patches.

Setting a goal is more than merely saying you want something to happen or that you want to be successful. To be successful at achieving your goal, you must clearly define it and understand why the goal is essential to you. By practicing these four tips, you’ll be able to achieve your goals with confidence and enjoy the satisfaction of succeeding in what you set out to do.

Original Blog Post

One of the first things I was told to do when I started my business was set goals. What do you want to accomplish? Where do you see yourself a year from now? Three years from now? Five years from now? Create your business plan with these goals in mind. So...that’s what I did. I mapped out what I was going to do and how many clients I would have by the end of 2019.

Those goals have changed and evolved to something BETTER but I still have them. It’s what keeps me hustling each day and pitching potential clients every time I see a job opportunity I want. You have to set goals if you want to be successful.

I’ve come up with FIVE reasons small business owners or entrepreneurs should set goals when they begin their journey.

Focus.

When you set goals - it helps you remain focused on those goals and achieve them. When you are constantly focused on your goals you will do what it takes to achieve them. Don’t waste your time or energy on anything that distracts you from that focus.

Motivation.

Goals give you something to strive for. They keep you motivated. Goals motivate you to get up every morning and do what you need to do to succeed. You are going to face obstacles. There will be people or events that get in the way of your focus but as long as you remain motivated, you will never stop working on your goals.

Accountability.

Goals are meant to keep you accountable. No one has to know what those goals are but you. Knowing them, writing them down, looking at them at least 2-3 times a week will keep you accountable for achieving them and reminding you why you started this journey in the first place.

Progress.

Don’t just set immediate goals, set future goals as well. Where do you see your business in six months? In two years? By setting goals you can map your progress. Set a benchmark for each goal that you write. One of my benchmarks is to have one paying retainer client by the end of February. But if I don’t stay focused, motivated, or hold myself accountable, then I probably won’t achieve that goal.

If you haven’t done so already as a small business owner or entrepreneur, sit down, take a minute and figure out what your goals are and where you want to see yourself a year from now. If you need help figuring out what your goals are or if you’re having problems achieving them, this article may help.

Go set goals. Let’s rock this!

Xoxo

Raquell