How to Make (and KEEP) Goals

We’re a couple of weeks into the new year! Have you kept your New Year's resolutions? Or have they already been forgotten? As a small business owner, you have a lot on your plate so it’s easy to let resolutions fall by the wayside. Here are some tips to help keep your goals realistic and achievable throughout the whole year:

AIM HIGH, BUT START LOW.

Setting big goals can be exciting and inspiring. But once you start to work towards them, they can be daunting and scary. The best way to counter this is to break big goals into a series of small goals. Taking this approach allows you to generate success early on, that way you don’t get discouraged in the first week. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated every day.”

BE CLEAR ON WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE TO YOU.

What does success look like to you and your small business? If you don’t know what it looks like, how will you know when you achieved it? It’s easy to set a goal of increasing business by 50-100%. But let’s be honest, there's a big difference between the two. It helps to have a very specific goal, one that’s achievable, but also easily measurable.

TRACK YOUR PERFORMANCE.

Being a leader of a team or a small business isn’t easy. When times get tough, it’s easy to think you might not be doing the right thing. But it’s also great to hear progress is being made. Even if it’s a small amount. If you are running to the finish line with your head down, it’s hard to see the finish line. Be very intentional about what your success looks like and track it. Even the smallest changes in the right direction can make a difference to you and your team.

We’d love to chat and find out how we can help you! We exist to serve small businesses in the area of marketing in ways that TRULY affect their bottom line. We’re Larison Media, your small business marketing department.