Setting goals is a critical component of launching and growing your business

As a business strategist, I know that setting goals is a critical component of launching and growing your business. But I also know that hitting specific targets isn’t always the most important thing.

Goals are important, but they should serve as a roadmap,, guiding you toward an intentional purpose and creating real, felt change. It’s not about hitting specific targets, but about using them to inform your actions, growth and opportunities for improvements. ( We are all learning all the time)

When it comes to setting goals, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a popular framework used by many successful businesses & entrepreneurs. OKRs allow you to set objectives that align with your business mission and vision and define key results that will help you measure progress toward those objectives.

The beauty of OKRs is that they help you set goals that are ambitious, measurable, and aligned with your overall vision and purpose. Instead of just setting a revenue target or a sales goal, you can set objectives that inspire and motivate you and your team, such as launching a new course, expanding or narrowing our niche or improving your customer journey.

To create effective OKRs, follow these steps:

1. Start with your vision and purpose. What is the big picture you’re trying to achieve? What impact do you want to have on the world? Use this as a guide for setting your objectives.
2. Set ambitious, measurable objectives. Your objectives should be specific, inspiring, and challenging, but also achievable. Use metrics such as revenue, customer engagement, or employee satisfaction to measure progress.
3. Break down your objectives into key results. These are the specific actions and milestones that will help you achieve your objectives. Make sure they are measurable and time-bound.
4. Align your objectives and key results with your team’s goals. Make sure everyone is working towards the same objectives and understands how their work contributes to the overall vision.
5. Track your progress and adjust as necessary. Use regular check-ins and reviews to monitor progress, identify obstacles, and make adjustments as needed.

OKRs are not a silver bullet, and they won’t guarantee success. But they are a powerful tool for setting meaningful goals, prioritizing your actions, and tracking your progress towards success. Even if you don’t hit your goals, it’s important to set them and use them for benchmarking your future growth for your business and launches.

Why goals are crucial for your business growth even if you don’t reach them

Goals determine the magnitude of change you want to achieve, set priorities for change, and inform the projects and shifts that will create those outcomes.

One of the most important aspects of setting goals is using them as a benchmark for future growth. Even if you don’t hit your goals, they can provide valuable insights into what worked and what didn’t. This information can help guide your future actions and ensure that you continue to move in the right direction.

When setting goals, it’s important to keep in mind that they should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. (Hello SMART Goals!)  This will ensure that you’re setting realistic goals that you can actually achieve.

In addition, it’s essential to focus on outcomes rather than outputs. Outputs are the tangible things you produce, while outcomes are the results you achieve. By focusing on outcomes, you can ensure that you’re creating real, felt change that will drive your business forward.

Finally, it’s important to be open to the possibility of even more than you could have imagined. Sometimes, the best outcomes are the ones you never even considered. By staying open to new possibilities and remaining flexible in your approach, you can ensure that you’re always moving in the right direction and truly build your business by design.