As a woman in business, it can be challenging to balance your personal life with your career aspirations. However, setting business goals that are achievable is essential for your success in both areas. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of setting business goals and how to create them in alignment with what you truly want in life.
Why are Business Goals Important?
Firstly, I want to tell you the reason, I’ve been inspired to write this blog and this has really instilled the importance of setting business goals for me.
Recently I lost my Grandma and have been through the sadness of grief and felt like I lost part of my heart with her too. When I sat at the funeral and in the week running up to it, I was thinking very much about how my grandma had inspired me and how much I appreciated all the things I learnt from her. This made me realise some of the business goals I have been working towards were not actually aligned with what I aspire to be or want to achieve in life.
With this in mind, I personally have looked at my goals and ambitions and asked the question, Are these really MY goals? Or are they someone elses? Could it be that I think society wants me to achieve this? Could it be that I think I will make people proud if I achieve something? BUT is it what I really want?
A funeral can be a powerful thing to make you reassess, can’t it? When I looked at the mass of people sprawling to the back of the church at my grandma's funeral, I saw her impact on many during her lifetime. Listening to the eulogy my uncle delivered for us made me realise all the things for the community she did, even before I was born.
Of course, during the funeral, I was all consumed with grief and loss, but in the days after, I thought, what do I really want in life? When it’s my funeral, what do I want people to say about my life? Have you thought of this before?
Reviewing and setting business goals helps you stay focused on what you want to achieve, both in the short term and the long term. Goals provide a clear direction for your efforts, allowing you to prioritise your tasks and make informed decisions. Moreover, setting specific and measurable goals gives you a sense of accomplishment and motivation as you make progress towards your objectives.
For example, I’m getting more focused on my goal of buying a holiday home and making an impact on my wonderful community of women in business networking together in my facebook group.
So for the holiday home goal, I am cutting down on expenses and concentrating on profits, of which, a portion will go into a dedicated savings account for my holiday home.
And for the community impact goal, my business services are becoming more streamlined with my focus on my community membership - Gossip Gals Gold which can lead to Gold Plus+ for women who want more guidance on running an online business and gain leads through social media.
Creating Business Goals Aligned with Your Life Ambitions
It's crucial when setting business goals that are aligned with your life ambitions. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, it can be challenging to stay motivated and focused. Therefore, take the time to think about what you want in life and how your business goals can help you achieve those desires.
Start by defining your purpose and values.
Sit with your thought and jot down what comes to mind when you ask yourself the following questions:
What motivates you?
What are your core beliefs?
How do you want to make an impact in the world?
Once you have a clear understanding of your purpose and values, you can create business goals that align with them. For example, if you want to create a better world for future generations, your business goals may involve developing sustainable products or services.
Part of my purpose is to positively impact and build togetherness with the online community of women in business. So with this in mind, one of my business goals is to strengthen the community with Gossip Gals by providing more connection opportunities and platforms for supporting each other.
Next, set specific and measurable goals. Your goals should be specific so you know exactly what you want to achieve. They should also be measurable, so you can track your progress and celebrate your successes. Use the SMART criteria to create goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You can have a SMART sheet set up for each business goal you have. For example, I have one for community building and another for saving for our holiday home.
Lastly, create an action plan. Identify the steps you need to take to achieve your goals and break them down into smaller tasks. This will help you stay on track and make progress towards your objectives.
My suggestion is to have the SMART sheet on one side and the action plan on the other so you can clearly see your goal and steps beside each other. It would be good to stick this on your wall in front of your desk or maybe stuck in the front of the notebook you’re currently working with.
Setting Business Goals: The Bottom Line
Setting business goals is essential for women in business who want to achieve success in both their personal and professional lives. It provides direction, motivation, and a sense of accomplishment as you make progress towards your objectives. By aligning your business goals with your life ambitions, you can create a fulfilling and purposeful career and business that makes a positive impact in the world.
I would love you to be part of the impactful community we have built for Gossip Gals. If you would like to be part of a thriving, supportive group, please hop over to our Facebook group - Gossip Gals Networking for women in business. And you can always book in a chat with me to talk through how you can make the most of being part of the community and how it can boost your business brand awareness, business connections and bring in new customers. Please book a call with me below.