How to Set “Achievable” Business Goals for 2022

According to weekdone.com, the most important part of goal-setting is being clear about what you’re trying to accomplish. Being clear is painting a concrete picture of what you want. For example, if your goal is to increase revenue, that is utterly general. A more specific goal would be to increase revenue by 30%. In that way, you are not just making the measurement and evaluation part at the end of the year easier, you are also  pushing yourself to do better so that you can reach this specific point.

A business owner who is clear on what he/she wants has a leverage among others because of his/her determination to perform. However, you should also be cautious with this because too much expectations, when not met, can lead to disappointment and loss of motivation. Therefore, you should still leave some room for mistakes and improvement.

One way to manage expectations from goals we set is to be as realistic as possible. Aspiring to increase your revenue by 70% at the middle of an economic crisis and increasing your social media reach by 70% in just a month may seem impossible, right? To make them more realistic, we have to consider our current resources so that we have a basis on the possibility of such goal to be achieved. 

Being realistic also entails being adaptable. Setting goals that are "specific and achievable" will still not necessarily give us the assurance that they will be met as expected (and through the way we planned). Therefore, being in a state almost similar to what we originally wanted to achieve is still possible if we practice versatility and resourcefulness. Besides, there are a lot of ways to reach your own definition of "success".

This will probably apply for business owners who already have a team of their own. Being inclusive with your goal-setting is involving your team and asking input from them. Whether it is about your current policies or your business plan, the insights and opinions of your employees do matter because they are the ones doing the groundwork. Involving them in your planning will make them feel heard and valued. In fact, they have good and interesting views most of the time.

For business owners who are still independent, practicing inclusivity is also possible even if you don't have your own team yet. You can be inclusive in they way you plan your products and services, the way you do your market research, and the way you settle your business policies. In that way, you are opening your business and making it accessible to a more diverse group of people.

Whether it's doing business or not, consistency is always the key. You can spend so much time setting goals and planning everything out but if you fail to be consistent in your habits and ways, it would be hard for you to actually achieve any thing. Being consistent in setting your goals entails you to draw plans from what was, adjust them based on what is, and continue  to hustle based on what is yet to come. It is also being consistent with your business' values and principles. Meanwhile, achieving your goals in a consistent way is making sure that you are regularly doing what is expected from you. It can be as simple as showing up every single day.

Right now, it's not perfection anymore that matters but consistency. Every step you take to achieve your goals may not be "perfect" and end up similar to what you planned but if you are consistent, you will still end up where you wanted to be (or at least similar to that).

Once you already set your goals and established your plans, one way you can maintain being consistent is by being accountable. How do you do this? You set goals that are specific and time-bound. These goals will give you a sense of accountability as they will guide you what exactly you should achieve and when should they happen. For example, if you want to increase your revenue by 30% by the end of the quarter, then you know that it is up to you on how it will happen until that deadline arrives. You will hustle until you reach that 30% and until the end of the quarter.

As you set your business goals for 2022 or plan on how you will achieve them, please remember that the "magic" happens not in the planning or in the day you reap the fruits of your labor - it happens in between. Therefore, the only way you can achieve your goals as an entrepreneur this 2022 is if you set your goals right (by making them specific, realistic, and inclusive), will be consistent in showing up every single day, and will be accountable of everything that happens in between.