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As a business owner, setting goals is a great way to visualize the success you want for your brand or business. No matter what your plan is for your business, setting goals can help you take the steps to get there. Creating the goal isn't always easy, but we will tell you how to create and attain goals this year to see your business scale and grow!
How to Set Goals
Maybe you have an idea of your goals for the year but haven't had time to think them through. Or maybe you have established a goal but don't know how to achieve it. You can do a few things to ensure that you are setting goals the right way, which can increase your chances of success.
Visualize, then write it down
The first way to set a goal is to visualize what you are trying to do, then write it down. According to neuroscientists, vividly describing your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success. According to Moxon, people who can vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to accomplish them than people who don't.
Writing it down helps you to set the tone for your goals. It also gives you
a roadmap for your strategy and can boost your motivation. I don't know about you, but when I see a goal written down in my notebook with my favorite ballpoint pin, I get hyped!
When you write down your goals, it's important to get super specific. Ask questions like:
What did you feel?
What did life look like after your goals were complete?
In getting more specific, you are better able to visualize your success.
Shift your vision into goals
The next thing you should do is shift your vision into goals. Let's say you own a card-making business, and your vision is to sell cards year-round for various holidays, events, and special moments. Shifting your vision into a goal would be selling a set number of cards on big holidays such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, etc., and then selling a set number of cards sporadically throughout the year.
To bring your vision to the life, you should write down the goals you need to complete. That will help you put it on paper and physically be able to visualize it. Ask yourself:
When did you feel complete in your vision?
What was accomplished?
Those questions should be a good starting point for shifting vision into goals.
Create actionable goals with Tactics
Another way to accomplish goals is to create these goals with specific tactics. You can use something called SMART Goals.
S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Achievable
R: Relevant
T: Time-bound
Using one or each of these tactics can help you to create goals you will accomplish. This will help you get an understanding of the specific task for what you need to do. The more specific you are with your goals, the better your chance of accomplishing them.
Have Systems in place
Your goals are only as strong as the systems you put in place to track them. You should instill systems that will help to benefit your business and have all your information in one place.
Trello
An example of a great system is Trello. Trello is the ultimate project management tool. It is a visual-based board for project management, goal setting, and tracking. It's perfect for collaboration as well with team members or clients.
Metrics & Benchmarks
A system for collecting metrics is a must. This is how you can see if you are attaining your goals. You need to ask yourself:
What data are you collecting to make sure you're reaching your goals
What KPI's do you have in place to make sure you're staying on track?
Having a system for metrics and benchmarks will allow you to stay on track with reaching your goals.
Mindset
Naturally, you would think a solid mindset would be one of the first things you need, but it's the last. Your mindset will help you stay consistent and get across the finish line.
Shift your mindset to believing you can be successful and accomplish all of the goals you have thought through and written down. The formula below starts with destiny and shows how your thoughts are the first step.
Your thoughts > turn into words > actions >habits > destiny
Understand that change is hard but possible
It goes without saying that any kind of change is challenging, but as a business owner, change is very possible. Change is an important quality if you plan to grow and improve your business and yourself. Change requires specific emotions and thoughts. There are 5 stages of cycles of change that people move through emotionally when changing behavior. The stages are:
Uninformed Optimism: This is when you see the vision without any of the challenges that will arrive. All you see and think of are positive thoughts, and you see none of the downsides that can happen.
Informed Pessimism: This is the next stage when reality kicks in and changes the positive emotion to a more negative state. The pessimism starts kicking in of what could go wrong, and people start questioning if the change is worth it.
Valley of Despair: The valley of despair is when many people give up. Many backtrack to the past and believe the change is uncomfortable and the benefits unimportant. In this stage, if you quit again, you have to start the process over.
Informed Optimism: In this stage, the possibility of success increases, and you are more positive. All the change feels worth it.
Success and Fulfillment: This is the final stage, where you can finally say that the change was well worth it.
You have probably felt a mixture of these emotions and may not have realized there is an emotional process when making changes. Now that you are aware, you can increase your chances of changing healthily.
Now it's time to put your goals into place this year! Share and pin this post with others that will find it helpful! Ruth Sherrill Marketing Services is a marketing agency that specializes in helping business owners create profit and nurture an audience through shareable and informative content. Keep up with us on our socials by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok!