Business Goals

11 Quick Tips For Achieving Business Goals

At the end of each year, I ask my business coaching clients to take stock of what happened over the last 12 months, which things you want to continue to do just the way you’ve been doing them, and which goals are most important to achieve in the next year. What went right? What didn’t happen that you were hoping would? What are the big lessons learned? What needs to happen next year to bring you the success you’ve looking for?

I know I’ve asked you to think about some goals, but beware: Like New Years’ resolutions, many business goals are made by then abandoned. It’s hard to say on track with your goals if there are many other things to be done. If you’ve set goals before that haven’t come to fruition,, let’s make this year different.

I’ve listed my tips for achieving business goals below, hope you find them helpful:

1. Identify what went really well this year. What do you want to keep doing?

2. Pinpoint what the “big goal” really is. What do you want to achieve that will make all of the difference in your business?

3. Take it one goal at a time. Don’t complicate things by taking on too much, instead narrow your focus and get it done.

4. Figure out if you’re really committed to this goal: Is it worth all the time, effort, energy and or money that you’ve have to invest in order to achieve it? If not, why bother?

5. Identify all of the interim steps that you’ll have to take to achieve this goal. In what order will you need to tackle them?

6. Devise a timeline for achieving your goal, and assign a realistic start and completion date for each of the steps.

7. Outline what resources you will need to help you. How much time, money, energy or other resources will you need to achieve this goal?

8. Put benchmarks in place to measure progress and specific dates to check in with yourself. How will you know that you’re making progress? When will you check?

9. Carve out some specific times to work on your goal plan, so it’s not overlooked. How might you best use this time?

10. Don’t accept defeat too easily! If one of the steps you’ve outlined isn’t working, figure out why and implement other strategies that will work better.

11. Get the support and accountability you’ll need to achieve your goals. Partner with someone or hire a professional to ensure that you achieve your “big goal” this year.

Need help achieving your business goals? Learn more about my business coaching programs.

"Susan taught me how to think about my law practice as a business. She helped me to build confidence in my role as a business owner and boss, showed me how to use my financial records as profitability tools and focus my marketing on a select target market so I attract more of my ideal clients and cases. I would highly recommend Susan to anyone who wants to run a profitable, sane and productive business. Thank you Susan!" -Lisa Eisenberg, Immigration Attorney

"I am one of two partners in a small law firm. When I started working with Susan, I was completely wedded to the idea that I was a "practicing attorney" rather than a small business owner, which meant that I often failed do any long range business planning or to maintain solid control of my firm's profitability and finances. Susan cured me of that and has helped me create a business plan for myself and for my small firm, and the results have been dramatic." Erica Bell, Esq., Weiss, Buell & Bell

"Susan has helped me gain confidence in my role as a boss and to understand what I really need from my employees. She walked me through the hiring process and helped me to create a hiring and interviewing strategy. She has also helped me to see situations from the big picture perspective. Because of this, I'm able to be both firm and empathetic when dealing with difficult employee and client situations, which has been very useful." -Chris Page, Century 21 Solutions Property Management

"I had been running my own business for about three years with mixed results. While I had a great client base, I had trouble managing employees and was terrified of growing too much too soon. I was putting in way too many hours with little result. With Susan, I've reduced the amount of time I devote to management issues, so that I'm working less and enjoying it more. Now I can devote more time to providing better service to current clients, and have the confidence to let my business grow again!" Ean Murphy, Moxie Bookkeeping

"When I started to work with Susan I did not have a coherent marketing strategy or proper marketing material. Susan helped me re-conceive how I presented my service to potential clients. And it worked. Within a few months I was getting more business as a direct result of the actions she recommended that I take." -Edward Antoine, Antoine Education

"Before we worked together, my clients would often start to clear clutter but never stay around long enough to set up the systems to stay organized. I needed a way to get them to commit to the whole process for both of our benefits.With Susan on my side, I created packages that were met with immediate and overwhelmingly positive results. In fact, I have gained three new clients in the two weeks since I started offering them! My clients are happy and so am I. Thank you Susan!" -Matt Baier, Matt Baier Organizing

"Before working with Susan, I did all of my business online, never feeling comfortable enough to pick up the phone and speak directly with customers. Her sales coaching helped me helped me get out of my shell, to understand the difference between sales and marketing, and the importance of reaching out and focusing on people. Because of our work, sales are up, I'm more comfortable dealing with clients and new prospects and profits have increased 50%." -Martin Cross, Patent Translations

"Before I hired Susan, my business was suffering because I didn't know what to do next or how to do it. After working with Susan, and through her gentle but firm support and holding me to my goals, I have moved forward by leaps and bounds. My subscriber list has more than doubled ...I've produced a new product, re-designed my web site and have more balance and confidence in the future." Dale Kurow, Career Coach

"It's one thing to have services to offer. It's another to understand how to shape those services into a viable business. And Susan has helped me in every aspect of developing my business - from big picture tasks such as financial planning and maintaining client relationships to dealing with day-to-day challenges. She's perceptive, candid and intuitive, and has provided support that I can count on. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to any friends looking for business assistance."-Richard Staub, Richard Staub Marketing Services

"During the course of working with Susan, my approach to business has changed. She helped me to refine my professional and personal goals, and I've been able to deal with problems that had long gotten in my way. In a few months, I've seen my business and my confidence grow significantly. Thank you Susan." -Ruth Seidler

"Business Coach Susan Martin has helped me to manage my time, build structure and become more disciplined. Because of our work I have more business, improved relationships with clients, and learned how to better balance my work and personal life. If you have any doubts about the benefits of working with Susan, please don't hesitate to call me." -Carl Navarro, JCI Graphics

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