Start Planning Your 2012 Business Goals Now

by Frederika Angus

Doesn’t it seem like time is flying? The end of 2011 is quickly approaching. In less than 3 months, it will be 2012! Will you be ready?

Just last week I was casually chatting to a colleague about the direction we were taking our respective businesses. The more we talked about the bigger vision we had for the companies and ourselves, we both discovered that we were already focused on planning for 2012.

It use to be that you could start thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions as you were on your way to be with friends and loved ones for the stroke of 12 midnight on the last day of the year. Do you still have the resolutions that you made for 2011? Are you three-quarters of the way complete with your list? Did you even bother?

If you’re like most, the answer is I’m not even close to acheiving those goals. Or I didn’t know how to start! While you might think it is ok to push that weight loss goal off until 2012 (you know you have one!), when it comes to your business, you should be getting started now. Your success in 2012 has to start with the planning you do now.

No procrastination on this one guys. Here are some things to think about and take action on that will make it quick and easy to plan your goals so that they will guide you next year.

Take a look back. One of the best ways to know where to go is to look to see where you’ve been. What did your 2011 look like? Where did your business excel, and where did you struggle? What experiences did you have that you enjoyed, and which do you want to make sure you never repeat? Knowing what went poorly can guide you to make goals that can prevent that from happening. Seeing where you were wildly successful can alert you to make sure you continue to incorporate those activities in the future. Remember this is not the time to cry over spilled milk or overly celebrate your successes. Look back to learn and let’s move forward.

Write them down. Part of the problem with planning for the future is failing to brainstorm on paper. (Or writing them on some random piece of paper and then losing it.) Pull out a notebook or journal and start thinking of anything you want to accomplish. WRITE IT DOWN. Remember to dream big. Thinking too small is like trying to squeeze into your jeans that must have shrunken in the dryer *wink*. They don’t fit you and they really aren’t comfortable. Have a vision large enough for you to grow into. I don’t advise you do the same with those jeans.

Make SMART goals. Your goals should be specific, easy to understand and clear. Saying you want to grow your business can mean different things at different stages. A more specific goal would be to add new customers to the business.

What you can measure, you can manage. Having measurable goals allows you to see if you’re actually on track to accomplish it. Adding 5 new customers to your business is a more measurable goal.

Your goals should stretch you beyond where you currently are. At the same time, they must also be attainable. Goals that are too far are from your reach are less likely to be accomplished. Create a goal that isn’t too easy that you’re aren’t challenged but not so difficult that you never start on it. Adding 5 customers to your business is much more attainable than adding 100 new customers when you’re first starting out.

Why do you want to accomplish this goal? Your goal needs to be relevant to your bigger vision. When a goal connects with your purpose it causes more excitement and increases the likelihood of your success.

Put a time limit around each of your goals. Goals that are time-bound create a sense of urgency to get started now. Remove the procrastination barrier and put a time frame on that goal. Adding 5 new customers to your business in 6 months will cause you to plan how to bring in each of those customers to reach your goal.

I suggest as you begin your planning for 2012, set no more than 10 goals with a good mix of short and long term goals. You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures. Once you complete a goal, add a new one to the list. The point in creating the goals is to continute to pull yourself into the next level.

Having clear business goals is the way to consistently move your business toward the vision you have for it.

Share a comment below with your thoughts. If you are looking for more support in building the business of your dreams and living the life you envisioned, be sure to join me on Facebook now and follow me on Twitter.

Talk to you soon!

Frederika

Having A Life and Being Successful in Business – How to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

by FREDERIKA ANGUS

There is a common school of thought that believes that you can’t have the best of both worlds. I’m not sure where it came from or how we all started believing this proverb was true, especially when it comes to entrepreneurship and leading a company to success. What I am sure of is that you have a choice in deciding what is true for you. Rather than affirming this saying by never attempting to be balanced in both your professional and personal life, I am encouraging you TODAY to change your mindset and prove this idiom wrong.

You can maintain work – life balance while successfully running your own business.

Don’t look at me with that tone of voice! While I understand that is a rather bold and somewhat radical statement, I make it my personal mantra. As a wife to the most amazing man, mother of four incredible children, daughter, friend, entrepreneur, business consultant, etc, I comprehend your reservations. How in the world can anyone accomplish all that needs to be done to lead a business, service clients, research new products, balance the books, support community fundraisers, network AND enjoy social outings with friends, attend their child’s sporting events, have dinner with the family and most importantly, rest your mind, body and spirit.

Well don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a quote from one of the most successful and significant businessmen of our time.

Having kids has been a fantastic thing for me. It’s meant that I’m a little more balanced. In my twenties I worked massively, hardly took vacation at all. Now, I, with the help of my wife, I’m always making sure I’ve got a good balance of how I spend my time.
~ Bill Gates

When a man who has voluntarily released his claim to the richest man in the world title by giving billions of dollars to his charitable foundation shares wisdom of the need to be balanced in life and business, I listen. I hope you do too.

Practical application to create a work – life balance

I would be remiss to not help you understand HOW to create this balance in your business. I’ve compiled 4 strategies to help you obtain harmony between your personal and professional time.

Define your personal mission statement and core values. Knowing what you believe in and what your purpose is in doing it is sometimes overlooked. When you don’t know where you are going, time is wasted getting there. Having a clear plan of action and vision of your goals will allow you to better filter what is important and what you can say no to.

Organize your time! If you have multiple hats that you wear daily, you comprehend that time is always of the essence. Having a system of time management will enable you to have smooth transitions from business to pleasure. It’s far less important about the tool you use to manage your time and more important that you are consistent in actually utilizing whatever strategy works for you.

Outsource tasks that take you longer than an hour. Most entrepreneurs are do-it-yourselfers. Often as a means to save money, business owners will take on multiple tasks in running the company. To achieve a more balanced lifestyle, be willing to invest money in surrounding yourself with the tools, processes and/or people that can alleviate your load. The time you save will give you more time to go build and grow your business and enjoy your life.

Give yourself grace. NO ONE IS PERFECT! Now that you’re freed from the perfectionism bondage most businesspeople have, forgive yourself if you can’t make that great networking event or a little-league game. It is impossible to be everywhere at one time and be everything to everyone. As long as you are striving to maintain a nice balance between your work and your life, there should be no guilt.

Talk to you soon!

Frederika

Start Planning Your 2012 Business Goals Now