The best goals are those that are clear-cut and well defined. Setting a goal to “get more business” won’t really help much. How do you want to get more business? Is it by developing a referral program with incentives to bring in “x” number of customers per month? Take time to think through the details and define a process that can help you achieve your goal. This can help build a foundation for a successful follow-through and acts as a road-map for you and your company.

You don’t have to be good at math to realize numbers are a critical part of the business. Coming up with measurable goals will help hold you and your team accountable. Try to come up with some actual figures when considering your aspirations for growth. Defining your goals using specific numbers can make your initiatives trackable while motivating you to keep pushing forward.

We love our small businesses, but we know some of you bite off a little bit more than you can chew at times. We’re not telling you to abandon your hopes and dreams but when it comes to goal setting, keep it realistic. Keep in mind your capacity and plans for growth but don’t overextend yourself.

A good test to see if your goals are realistic is to compare them next to your mission statement and purpose for your business. Goals that fall outside of that realm and don’t align, are often not achievable. Ultimately, realistic goals should make sense with your overall business model.

When setting a goal, try not to leave it open-ended. You want to give it a time-frame that’s realistic. Think about how certain goals take more time to achieve than others and plan accordingly. It’s even a good idea to break down your goals into actions needed to achieve it and set a timeline for each piece of the process.