How To Set Business Goals - Small Business Development Corporation 904-468-7232

Oct. 13, 2010 - PRLog -- Goal setting is a process used to clarify what you want from your life and career. Written goals are powerful motivators that leverage the way you use your time and get you where you want to go faster.

According to Amy Carlson of Mindtools.com, the acronym SMART will help you to write goals that will make a difference in your performance and your bank account.

S = Specific, M=Measurable, A=Attainable, R=Relevant, T=Time bound.

For those of you who aren’t keen on writing out your goals, consider this:

Goals are great motivators. They build self-confidence because they give you a way to measure your progress and take pride in your achievements. Setting goals will also raise your self-confidence as you recognize your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set.

Giving personal meaning to your business objectives and goals with a clearly stated “Why,” adds weight to your goal setting. Goals are a means to an end. What you wish to achieve with your personal goal setting takes on more power when they’re presented as a series of goals.

While many of us, myself included, have a clear mental picture of what we want to accomplish we don’t take the time to write it down. Writing business goals or the steps needed to realize your dreams is a critical move that ensures you give them the attention they deserve. Where your attention goes your results will grow.

Here are six steps get your goals down on paper:

1. Brainstorm about what you would like to achieve in different areas of your life.

(Or you may wish to focus on just one for starters.)

2. Set large-scale objectives for your career, personal life, or finances that you want to accomplish in the next 10 years.

3, Break these down into smaller steps that will help move you towards the larger goal.

4. Write all of your goals in a positive context. The words “Monitor my spending and stick to my budget” are much more effective than “Stop blowing money on things I don’t really need.” Always think in positive terms and it will train your mind to attract the results you want to achieve through your goals.

5. Relate your goals to performance rather than outcomes. (“Make 10 more follow up calls per day” versus “ Make $5,000 more in sales per month.”) Taking the actions will lead to the results you want.

6. Get Specific. Include times, dates and amounts. The more clearly you envision your outcomes, the more likely you are to attract the results you want to achieve with your goals.

Tweak your goals as you move forward and review your plan of action regularly. Written objectives and goals will leverage the way you use your time. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your dreams and objectives materialize when you get specific about the results you want and what they mean to you at a personal level. Be sure to write them down and refer to them often.

Then share your victories and new skills as you take your business to the next level!

# # #

Small Business Development Corporation is a education, resource & services clearinghouse for small to mid-sized businesses. We are dedicated to economic development within small communities throughout.