Why you need to set goals in your business

Setting goals for your business is one of those tasks that we tend to put off.

We think that we know in our minds where we want things to go and how we want our businesses to flourish and grow. There seems to be little point in setting time aside to think even more about the subject.

But that's where you're wrong!

Every business needs goals if it's going to be successful. And that's what this post is all about! We'll start with why your business needs to have goals and then you can read next on how to go about setting them.

1: MOTIVATION

Whether you're new to your biz or you've been working in it for years, your business needs to have a purpose.

For some, it will be as simple as paying the bills each month. For others, it will be about being able to stay at home with their children, or being able to do exactly what you love to do every single day.

Having a clear purpose gives you the motivation to keep going when times get tough (and trust me, they will from time to time). And that purpose is what will form the basis of your goals - every goal you set will lead to that overall purpose.

Take 3 minutes to write down a few lines on what your business purpose is.

2: FOCUS

Having goals for your business will help you stay focused and on track for your overall purpose.

One of the biggest challenges I faced when I first started out on this journey was wanting to do EVERYTHING. I had so many ideas and I wanted to do them all NOW.

Having big ideas, drive and that level of excitement for something is amazing. Trying to do all of those things at the same time is not. You'll soon find yourself switching between projects and ideas and never finishing any of them. That can start a bit of a downward spiral because you feel like a failure for being unable to complete anything and then you start doubting everything! Okay, so that's a bit dramatic, but you know what I mean!

If you set your goals in the right way (more on that later!) you'll have a plan in place, with a fixed order to do things in. I'm not saying you can't do everything you want to, but having a plan in place that helps you make sense of those ideas and when to work on them will increase your productivity massively! (And you'll actually start completing things rather than just starting them)

Put simply, better focus = more progress.

3: GROWTH

This follows on nicely from the point above…

When you know your purpose and you are able to focus on different elements of your business, you'll start to see growth. There are two main reasons for this:

Firstly, you will actually be working on the right things. You won't be wasting time on tasks that aren't working towards your purpose AND you won't be trying to work on #allofthethings at the same time so you'll actually be able to dedicate time and energy to those important tasks.

Secondly, you will be able to see your growth. Without having goals, you can't possibly know if you're making any progress or growing your biz! By setting benchmarks you will be able to track and analyse your progress against them.

4: YOUR SANITY

Running a business can be tough. Especially if you're a solopreneur and manage every part of your business yourself.

Goals will help you stay sane (I say help - I'm not making any promises here!)

As I mentioned above, without goals, it's easy to try and take on too much. And, unfortunately, that leads to burnout. I see it a lot with business owners just starting out. They go in, guns ablazing, trying to do everything all at once and they get burnt out.

When you're the only person in your business, if you're burnt out and can't work, your business stops functioning. It's that simple. Even if you've been proactive and planned some things out ahead of time, things will slow down and progress will start to taper off.

There's also this small issue of overwhelm as a business owner.

There have been so many mornings where I've woken up, thought about everything that I need to get done and felt completely overwhelmed. So overwhelmed, in fact, that I've just decided to do nothing at all. Kind of counter-productive, right?

When you have goals in place, you know exactly where you are heading all of the time. This really helps with the overwhelm, especially if you're setting bite-sized goals that are achievable (again, there's more on this in a min).

5: ACCOUNTABILITY & GRATIFICATION

When you work for yourself, there's no manager or boss looking over your shoulder. There's no one there making sure that you're actually getting stuff done. There are no judgmental colleagues glaring at you when you come back from your 4-hour lunch break!

So, by writing down your goals, you hold yourself accountable. If those goals don't get met, there's no one else to blame but yourself. And, if you're anything like me, you're probably pretty hard on yourself when it comes to your biz and getting stuff done!

On the other hand, when you absolutely smash your goals, that's all you too! Yep, you get ALL of the glory! Time to pop that champagne!

The feeling of being able to tick things off your list and meet your goals week after week, month after month, is amazing and will do a lot towards that motivation I spoke about earlier.

So now you know WHY it’s important to set goals, click here to find out HOW you could set them.