guest post: how to set goals as guideposts
We talk about goals a lot in the business world.
Whether it’s sales goals, marketing goals, or other goals, we tend to measure how successful we are by how fast we can hit those goals. Goals can be great motivators, but they can also give us tunnel vision as we strive to hit them.
I think it’s time we shift our thinking around goals and how we measure our success.
Goals are often treated as endpoints or destinations. But what if we stepped back from that thinking and instead started to see goals as the guideposts we are setting ourselves as we grow - sort of like mile markers along the way.
By thinking of goals as guideposts along our journey of growth, we can set better goals. Goals that smartly build upon each other. Goals that can point us in the right direction and guide us as we grow. Ones that, when we reach them, we won’t be left wondering “what’s next?”
What if we thought of them almost like that famous improv game, where one actor starts the story and then the next actor builds on it by saying “yes, and…”
By thinking about it this way, our goals get bigger and better each time and further our dreams and vision. It removes the sense of “it’s all or nothing,” which makes us less likely to go off track and more to be able to see the bigger picture and life beyond the goal.
SO HOW DO WE SET GOALS AS GUIDEPOSTS FOR OURSELVES AND OUR BUSINESSES?
look back to move forward
It’s said that you can’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you’ve been. This is as true in life as it is in goal setting. It’s especially true if we want to use our goals as guideposts to move us forward.
To set smart, achievable goals, you need to know where you’re starting from. You need to have a baseline of where you’ve been, an idea of where you are now, and a measure of how far you have to go until you reach your goal. This helps right-size your expectations and informs the action plan you’ll create to help you achieve your goals
So, if you’re ready to set some new business goals, start by looking back:
Check out your numbers. Look at the real, tangible data you already have. Look at your finances, client retention, number of new clients, profitability, and price points. What are your numbers telling you?
Review your past goals. What goals did you hit, miss, or change? Why?
Think about what’s going well in your business. What projects or clients were your favorites? What did you love doing that you want to do more of?
Then think about what’s not going so well. What do you want to do less of? What are pain points or constant stumbling blocks you need to address?
Consider the opportunities ahead of you. Do you have a new service or product you’d like to offer? Will you be tapping into a new market? Where can you improve what you’re already doing?
And last but not least, do a gut check. How are things feeling for you? Does your business and the way you are serving your clients still excite you? Do you feel aligned with what you’re offering and how you’re running your business?
After going through these questions, you should be able to start seeing some patterns. You’ll get an idea of what has worked in the past and what hasn’t. And even more important, you’ll get a better understanding of why and how you feel about it all.
Now that you know where you are and where you’ve been, you can get a better idea of where you want to go!
three types of goals you should be setting
Goals come in many forms, and often you’ll see people lean hard on one type of goal (sales numbers, for example). But it’s much more effective if you set a few different types of goals to guide your growth.
Here are the three types of goals I recommend you set:
Financial Goals: what numbers are you aiming to hit?
Success Goals: how are you defining success for yourself? Complete the sentence “I am successful when I…” (It’s not all about the numbers!)
That One Big Ultimate Goal: what is your ultimate vision for yourself and your business? What are you genuinely working towards? It may take years to get there, but what do you truly want, and why are you truly doing this?
These three types of goals complement each other well because they can serve as guideposts at different points along your journey. The One Big Ultimate Goal is like a gateway, it’s the furthest point you can imagine for now, and all the other goals line up to lead you there. That One Big Ultimate Goal is likely to grow and change, or at least become more nuanced, as you grow and progress.
Together, these three types of goals give you a bigger picture of what you want for yourself and your business. Taken as a whole, they help eliminate tunnel vision. There are many different ways to achieve any one goal, but when you look at this group of goals together, the way that works best for you and your business will seem much more apparent.
For example, let’s say your financial goal is to make 10K in revenue this month, and your success goal is to feel less stress, less rushed, and have more time with your kids. Then it’s clear that you should not be adding more clients, more products, and more time-consuming programs to your business to hit your 10K revenue goal. You might hit that financial goal by doing so, but you’ll move further away from your success goal in the process.
Instead, you can consider ways that allow you to move closer to achieving both goals. Maybe you add more passive income streams, raise your prices, or hire a team to help increase your revenue without adding to your workload or taking time away from your family.
These goals complement each other and keep you aligned with what you truly want and value, so you don’t lose sight of the forest through the trees.
how to create a roadmap to achieve your goals
Now we know where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go. We also know the paths we are not going to take to get there. So how do we find the direction that we are going to take?
We reverse engineer our goals.
Yup, we’re working backward once again.
Start with each goal, and then break them down into the exact steps you’ll need to take to make them happen. It’s helpful to break these steps down - and then break them down again - so that each step is small enough that it can be done in a reasonable amount of time. I’m talking days or weeks, not months here! We want clear and actionable, not big and vague! Each step should also have a date attached to it to keep you moving forward.
For example, “grow my email list” is too big and broad to be a step. It needs to be more specific and measurable, like “grow my email list by 250 subscribers, by the end of next month,” and even then, it still needs to be broken down further. So, you might start with “create new lead magnet by the end of the week,” and then “promote lead magnet in 5 Facebook groups each day for two weeks,”...and so on, until you have a clear plan.
Two notes of caution here:
Remember what we talked about before, each goal and the steps you take to reach them should align with all of your other goals, not get you closer to one but further from another.
What got you here won’t get you there. As your goals grow, your tactics will need to as well. Be prepared to level up and find new ways of working on hitting your bigger, better goals! This is when working with a coach, consultant, or your trusted team can come in handy. Different perspectives and accountability make all the difference in planning realistically (but ambitiously) and executing!
There are so many ways you and your business can grow and change. The idea here is to be clear and intentional about it. Doing this allows you to know exactly how you’re going to pursue your goals and achieve your vision.
This will give you a clear roadmap and make it easy to see if you are on track to reach your goals at any given time.
Setting goals as guideposts allows you to grow intentionally. It gives you clear targets to focus on and ensures you are headed in the right direction. It gives you clarity, a way to orient yourself and measure your progress.
So, rather than goals as destinations, I encourage you to set smart goals as guideposts to keep you on track as you and your business grow.
These guidepost goals will show you the way and help you get closer and closer to your dreams each and every day.
Bio: Erin Cantwell
Happy clients and thriving creative businesses are my specialties!
I’m a graphic designer who went to work at a branding firm in NYC and discovered I had a knack and passion for the business side of the creative industry.
So, I changed paths and worked my way up through the firm, eventually serving dually as the Director of Client Services and the Director of Operations there.
I’ve spent 12+ years learning how to run a successful creative business, and along the way, I mastered the art using goals to drive growth and of building and implementing effective, high-converting, client experiences.
Now, I'm an outsourced COO and business coach. I work with creative entrepreneurs like you, bridging the gap between the creative work and the operations side of your business, so that you can thrive and make a living doing what you love!
LET’S CONNECT!
Email: erin@erincantwell.co
Web-site: www.erincantwell.co
Instagram: @erincantwellco