We are all guilty of making elaborate and well-intentioned goals for ourselves and not following through. We set out with great intention and enthusiasm but lose steam when life gets in the way. Goals can be overwhelming and without a clear path forward you are essentially shooting in the dark.
Narrowing down all your big ideas into SMART Goals helps you and your business focus on achievable success. Each element of the SMART framework helps to create a goal that is carefully planned so it is easy to measure your progress and be accountable for your success.
The SMART Framework
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
SPECIFIC
Create goals that are specific and detailed and have a desired outcome that is clearly understood, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
MEASURABLE
The goal should be quantifiable, and progress should be easy to track. Setting concrete objectives and deadlines can help you stay focused and get excited about meeting deadlines.
ACHEIVABLE
Goals are meant to challenge you without being out of reach. How can you accomplish this goal and how realistic is it?
RELEVANT
Make sure that it matters to you and to your organization, aligning to your values and long-term objectives. Is it worthwhile and is this the right time?
TIME-BOUND
Set a target date to work towards and keep other less important tasks from sidetracking you. If you haven’t achieved your goal by the set time consider why. Was the timeframe unrealistic? Did you run into unexpected challenges?
Let’s put SMART Goal planning to action!
Goal: Grow the merchandise in my store before business picks up for the spring.
Specific: Hire a part-time retail assistant. This will free up time to conduct product research and add new products to my store.
Measurable: The goal is to hire a part-time retail assistant and add ten new products to my store.
Achievable: I have some hiring experience and will place my ad in Indeed and spread the word in the community that I’m hiring. I already know my buyer persona and have vendors to buy winning products from.
Relevant: I aim to work on my business, not in my business so that I can grow my merchandise and consequently my income.
Time-Bound: I will hire an assistant within one month and then add five new products to my store within one month and five more the following month.
Next time you set a goal for yourself implement the SMART Framework to help you achieve success!