Goal setting isn’t just something you do once a year. If you have your own business or are thinking about starting one, now is the time to set business goals. Before you plan on where you want to go, take a look at where you’ve been.
Here are some things to consider:
- List activities that worked to help achieve your business goals over the last six months.
- List activities that didn’t work.
- Consider the activities that didn’t work and how they can be improved upon.
- Are there goals that weren’t met? Sometimes a goal may need to be pushed back and held for another time. Or perhaps it could be simplified to help bring it to fruition. Separate activities that helped you get new clients from those that helped advertise your business. Which of these helped improve your bottom line?
Depending if you keep the same goals or develop new ones, once you determine what worked or could work to help grow your business and what doesn’t, then you can strategize for 2015 and develop vision and mission statements.
Vision
A Vision statement will help you to clarify and plan what it is you want to accomplish with your business. What is your vision for your business?
- Consider the law of attraction (positive thoughts bring positive actions; negative thoughts bring negative action) while you develop a Vision Statement.
- Here is an example:
(First/Last Name) is a (health coach, herbal specialist, etc.). My (business, website, store, etc.) will include (health products, consulting services, health education, etc.) that people can (order, access, download, buy, etc.). - Add a sentence or two on what your dream is for your business. What does your successful business look like in five or 10 years? How would you end this statement: I will grow my business to the point that I am achieving (or I can achieve)…
- If you are more of a visual person, you may even want to create a vision board based on what you want from your business. You can then hang this prominently where you will see it every day. This will help keep you focused on your goals and your vision to make your dream happen.
Mission
Now for your mission statement. This statement will help support your business vision and includes your “why.” Think about who do you serve and why you serve them. For example: “I serve people who are looking to maintain or improve their health through quality, natural products and educational programs. I help clients to grow their network and build their business by ______________. ”
Once completing your vision and mission statements you are now ready to develop your objectives and the specific goals that will help you accomplish them. These might include:
- How many clients/customers do you want to add.
- How much income you want to have monthly or by end of year and by what month do you want to achieve this income.
- What other successful activities will you continue to use to help others and grow your business.
- What else do you want to accomplish in 2015.
Once you’ve listed out your goals then think about your strategy to accomplish them. What specific activities can bring about the results you desire? Is it increasing your visibility on social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), advertising, or speaking at health workshops?
If you are currently doing activities that work well for you list them. Then think of others that you may not have tried before and add them to your list as well.
Then, last but not least, it will help to write out any action plans you can create to help you streamline and make your strategic activities easy for you to manage. These can include developing an editorial plan or outline for social media such as blog posts, Facebook posts, etc. Also, create, an outline of what products or educational material you may want to promote with your clients on a monthly basis, based on holidays, special interests from your clients, or your specialty if you have one.
Once you have completed these activities you will have your official business plan! Let’s go out and make it happen.
Once you have your business plan, here are 5 tools to promote your business online.