Small Business

How to set a S.M.A.R.T. goal (and why you need to!)

 

Every entrepreneur knows you’re 42% more likely to achieve a goal if you write it down.

But how can you increase your likelihood of success even further??
By making your goals S.M.A.R.T.!

S.M.A.R.T. stands for:

  • Specific

  • Measurable

  • Attainable

  • Relevant

  • Time-Bound

Anytime I create a new offering or product I set a S.M.A.R.T. goal. It’s a tried-and-true marketing/business technique that helps keep you honest, accountable, clear, AND productive!

Here’s what each of those terms mean and here’s how you can use them as a guide to set a SMART goal for yourself & your business…

 


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Specific:

According to neuroscience studies, you are 1.4x’s more likely to achieve your goal if you vividly imagine and describe it. So really think about it- what EXACTLY do you want to achieve?

Dial in, get honest with yourself, and imagine your ideal end result. Make it as specific as you can! If it’s a revenue goal, give it a specific number. If it’s “grow my email list”, say on which platform & by how many subscribers. The more specific you are: the better!

Measurable:

You need to be able to measure the success of your goal. For example, don’t just say, “I want to make more money,” say, “I want to double my profits this quarter.” Instead of “start a blog,” say, “I will write 3 launch posts and then one post per week, for a month.” Instead of “publish my website,” say, “I will publish my website in 30 days”.

You should be able to answer whether or not you accomplished your goal with a yes/no question. So at the end of the quarter you can ask yourself: Did I double my profits this quarter? And hopefully the answer is: YES!

Attainable:

I’m the first to say SHOOT FOR THE MOON when it comes to your dreams! But, your goal does need to actually be attainable and realistic. For example, if you say “I will have 1M Instagram followers by the end of the year” and you currently have 500, that’s not realistic. But if you say something along the lines of, “I will have 1000 Instagram followers by the end of the quarter” that’s a much more achievable goal and you’re more likely to actually work on it.

When setting your goal, think about what you’re going to need to accomplish this goal in terms of time, effort, money, new skills, attitude, etc. This is meant to inspire motivation, not discouragement!

Relevant:

Your goal should be in alignment with your overall business and life goals. For example; if you’re a therapist and you want to launch an online course, it’s more relevant for you to create a course about self-discovery than “how to crochet”. That’s an extreme example, but, you get it.

Keeping your specific goals aligned with your overall life and business goals actually accelerates your growth rate. It’s the law of perpetual motion.

Time-bound:

All this means is it should take a finite amount of time to accomplish this goal. Back to the example of, “I will have my new website launched in 30 days”- 30 days is a finite period of time. Another example, “by the end of the week, I’ll have mapped out this quarter’s editorial calendar”.

Make sure the amount of time is realistic, but still motivating. For example, you don’t need to give yourself a whole year to write and launch a website. 30 days is more realistic- it gives you enough time to do it but it still feels a little scary you might not get it done! That’s the sweet spot.

Have you ever set a S.M.A.R.T. goal? How did you feel about the process? Did you end up achieving what you set out to? Let me know in the comments below!

PS- If you don’t already have it, be sure to download your copy of my super helpful freebie: 3 Copywriting Tricks to 3X Your Profits!

 

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