I love the New Year! The turning of the calendar brings with it new possibilities for success. You remember how excited we were last year, “2020 is the year of perfect vision!” “This is my year!” “Wait until you see what goals I crush this time.”
We set our business goals and hit the ground running in January and February. New products were launched, new programs were started…and then the pandemic hit…and then we witnessed the loss of multiple Black lives due to hate, violence and police brutality. It’s also an election year, so talk about policies, the economy and how the nation will hopefully change for the better is all over the media.
It can be overwhelming! But where does that leave us and our goals?
If you’re one of those entrepreneurs who feels like your new year’s business resolutions went out the window, hope is not lost. You still have the rest of June and the remaining 6 months of the year to get back on track, but you have to do things differently. Here’s what you can do now to make sure you set goals that get completed by the end the year.
1. Check your goals. Are they still realistic? Sometimes we get so caught up in creating goals that we never check to make sure they are something we can actually attain. Think about the goal of losing weight. From what I’ve read, it’s healthy to lose 1 to 2 lbs a week. You may lose more if you’re aggressive, but that’s average. Do we set a goal to lose 4 to 8 lbs in January? Nope. We say, “I’m going to lose 15 to 20 lbs this month!” Unless you have 3+ hours a day to work out, a personal trainer and are willing to drastically change your diet, that goal is not realistic.
It’s the same for your business. Did you write down that you’d gain 25 new clients each week or that you’d increase sales 50% in the first three months of the year without a solid plan to back it up? Remember, you need to set goals that are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound). Make sure yours are. If not, rewrite them.
Also, examine how this fits in with your new reality. If your original goals were based on your kids being in school or summer camp all day, but now they’re home with you 24/7, you’ll have to make some changes. And that’s okay. What S.M.A.R.T. goal works now? Be realistic.
2.What’s important to you now? Is it time to create a new list? Maybe you’ve decided to take your business in a new direction. Perhaps the needs of your customers changed since you wrote your goals down in January. If so, then what you want to accomplish between June to December may have changed as well. That’s okay. It just means that you need to revise your current list. When writing out your goals for the remainder of the year, use the S.M.A.R.T. format mentioned above.
3. Get outside support. It’s easy to fall off track if you have no one checking for your progress. Get a coach or an accountability partner who will hold you to your goals and keep you moving forward. Look for someone who is also a small business owner and schedule regular meetings where you both have a chance to share your current, short-term goals, your progress on previous goals and any help needed from the other person. I recommend meeting twice a month to keep the momentum going.
What progress have you made on your goals in the 1st six months of this year? What help do you need to make it a stronger back-half of the year? Comment below.
Dequiana Jackson, Founder of Inspired Marketing, Inc., www.inspiredmarketinginc.com, helps high-achieving women entrepreneurs conquer limiting beliefs and create marketing plans that win. This includes one-on-one marketing plan development, digital product creation, web design and content marketing.