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Want to know how to smash your business goals in 2024? There is nothing like a new year to help you to dream big about what is possible for your business. I love helping business owners to set and achieve their goals, and I decided it was time to share the goal setting and smashing process I swear by. Keep on reading to find out how to smash your business goals in 2024.
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HOW TO SMASH YOUR BUSINESS GOALS IN 2024
Step 1: Set your business goals
This might seem obvious but if you want to smash your business goals in 2023 you’ll first need to have some business goals.
When it comes to setting goals there are a number of different methods you can use. I’m obsessed with goal-setting and love trying out different methods. Some of the most common methods are: SMART goals, SMARTER goals, Be, Do and Have goals, and Good, Better, Best goals.
For setting business goals I would recommend setting SMART(ER) goals or using the Good, Better Best method. I’m a big fan of using Be, Do and Have goals for personal purposes (in fact, I even have a blog post and video breaking down how the method works here ), but for business purposes I think the other methods are better.
If you haven’t heard about setting SMART goals you can find out more here .
And if you haven’t heard about setting Good, Better, Best goals you can find out more here.
Once you’ve decided what method you want to use you’ll need to set some goals for your business. Some common areas to set business goals are:
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- Revenue – How much money do you want the business to generate in 2023?
- Profit – How much profit do you want to make in 2023?
- Your Pay – How much money do you personally want to be able to earn through the business in 2023?
- Clients / Customers – How many clients / customers do you want to work with in 2023?
- Offerings – Do you want to stop selling something or start selling something new?
- Resources – Do you want to hire a contractor? Take on your first employee? Invest in a new piece of software?
- Website – How much traffic would you like your website to get?
- Content Consumption – How many downloads of your podcast would you like? How many views would you like on your blog posts or YouTube videos?
- Audience Growth – How many subscribers do you want on your email list? How many followers do you want on social media?
- Raise Your Profile – Appear in a specific magazine, newspaper or media outlet?
These are just some ideas to get you going. The important thing is to write goals based on what you really want to achieve. I’m super passionate about helping people build a business they love and that starts by being clear on your version of success and what you want to achieve in the business. So make sure when you are setting your goals that everything is something you honestly want to achieve, rather than something you think you should be aiming for.
Step 2: Break your goals down to 12-week, 90-day or quarterly goals
Annual goals are great, but they can feel miles away and this can often lead to people being demotivated, not taking action for months on end and then panicking later on in the year when the goal feels too much for the time that is left. That is why I highly recommend in addition to your annual goals you set 12-week, 90-day or quarterly goals.
Whether you decide to go with 12-week, 90-day or quarterly goals doesn’t really matter. For years I have followed the 12-week year format after reading The 12-Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington (you can read my review of the book here). It is very common in business to work in quarters, but then there are some business owners who feel quarters is too corporate and big business mentality. So choose whatever feels right for you.
Then at the beginning of each 12-week, 90-day or quarter you’ll need to look at your business goals and set goals for the 12-week, 90-day or quarter that will directly support you achieving your annual goal.
For example, if your revenue goal for the year is £80,000 then your revenue goal for Q1 could be £20,000. Another example would be that your annual goal is to launch and podcast and have over 50,000 downloads. Your Q1 might be to do everything you need to do behind-the-scenes to get your podcast ready to launch in Q2. (You can find out about what you need to do to start a podcast here.)
Step 3: Create an action plan to achieve your 12-week, 90-day or quarterly goals
One of the main advantages of creating 12-week, 90-day or quarterly goals is that it is a much easier timeframe to create an action plan for you. You are not going to smash your business goals without taking some action.
You should create an action plan for each of your goals. Depending on your goals it might be that you already know what you need to do. In some situations you might know some things (enough to get you going) and then you’ll build on the plan as the next steps reveal themselves. Your action plan should be a working document that you refer to on a regular basis.
Step 4: Work out what tools, systems, support or help you’ll need to smash your business goals
In some cases you might already have everything you need in order to smash your business goals, but in many cases you might need to get new tools, put in new systems, get the right support or ask for help.
Getting the right tools / technology
For example, maybe your goal is to create a passive income stream and generate £20,000 in sales. You decide that your preference of passive income stream is a course. In order for that goal to happen you’ll need to choose the right software for you to be able to house your course and enable people to pay and access the course without being involved. You could decide for a stand-alone solution like Teachable or Thinkific, or to invest in a solution that could run your entire online business like Kartra or Kajabi.
Getting accountability
Another type of support you might need is accountability. If you are a solopreneur or solo business owner then it is easier to set goals and then let them pass by because there is no one to answer to. You never admitted to anyone else that your dream was to be a best-selling author so when you haven’t sat down to write your book this year it doesn’t make a difference.
Having external accountability and sharing your goals with that person (or people) will mean that your goal is no longer just something in your head or on a piece of paper. It’s been shared. Someone else knows this is what you want to achieve and they’ll be checking in on you to ensure you are making progress.
Getting expert help
Did you find it hard to create your action plan because you are trying to do something new and you don’t know everything involved? If so, it could be that you can put together the plan following more research or it might be better for you to work with an expert who can tell you exactly what you need to do.
WORK WITH ME 1-TO-1
If you are thinking you need expert help to improve your marketing and grow your business then I might be able to help you. I offer a range of 1-to-1 services aimed specifically at helping solopreneurs and small service-based business owners to improve their marketing and grow their business. Depending on your needs you can get a one-off Strategy Day where I can help you strategies and plan for the next 3 months to year. And for those who need ongoing support and accountability, I offer one-to-one business mentoring. To find out more about my services click here.
Step 5: Regularly review your progress
Making an action plan is great, but you shouldn’t follow it blindly until the end of the 12-weeks, 90-days or quarter. When you made the plan you’ll have made it to the best of your abilities, but sometimes you can take action and the results might not be what you expect. That is why it is so important to review your progress.
Firstly, you need to identify what you are going to be reviewing. For quantitative goals this is usually pretty easy as you can be tracking the number of clients signed up, revenue generated, podcasts appearance, words of your book written etc. For qualitative goals you may need to use break the goal down into smaller milestone moments along the way.
Secondly, you need to work out how often you are going to review your progress. In an ideal world you should be reviewing on a weekly basis and in the worst case scenario once a month.
Step 6: Smash your business goals and CELEBRATE!
By this point you should have clear goals, a plan to follow, have the right tools and people to help you, and are regularly reviewing your progress. From the regular reviewing you’ll have identified if you aren’t making the desired progress and been able to change the action plan accordingly. If you keep on going you should be smashing your business goals.
Once you have smashed your business goals take a moment to acknowledge your achievement and celebrate before you move onto the next goal. It is too easy when you are a high-performing business owner to keep on aiming higher and higher. There is nothing wrong with that but if you want to keep on smashing your business goals in the future then remembering to celebrate all of your wins will help.
There you have it! You now know how to smash your business goals in 2024.
I hope you’ve found this blog post useful and you go through the steps I’ve set. I truly believe that if you follow these steps there is no reason why you can’t smash your business goals in 2024.
In the comments I would love to hear what one of your goals for 2024 is.
WANT HELP TO SMASH YOUR GOALS IN 2024?
OPTION 1: BOOK A 2024 STRATEGY DAY
If you’ve got big goals for 2024 then a 2024 Strategy Day is great way to get clear on HOW to achieve those goals so you can go into the new year focused and with complete clarity over what needs to happen. To find out more and book a 2024 Strategy Day click here.
OPTION 2: 1-TO-1 BUSINESS MENTORING
My 1:1 Business and Marketing Mentoring programme is a personalised programme based on the goals you have set for 2024. We’ll work together for 6 months and have 2x 12-week goal setting and planning sessions. I’ll help you make the plan, I’ll provide the training for areas you need to upskill in and I’ll hold you accountable every step of the way. Find out more and apply here.
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