Establishing Clear Milestones For Business Goals

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹-𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽: Setting ambitious goals is crucial, but the pitfall comes when these goals aren't fully understood or when they're borrowed from external benchmarks without real personal insight. The biggest hurdle? Not properly planning the time and resources needed to achieve these goals. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Time estimation. It's easy to underestimate how much time tasks will really take, especially when your schedule is already packed. Our experience at OwnersUP, working with over 1,000 entrepreneurs, has highlighted time estimation as a critical hurdle in goal realization. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖-𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗦 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 Transform your goal-setting with our structured 𝗖-𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗦 approach: • 𝗖larify Your Objective: Ensure your goal resonates with your personal and business vision. • 𝗕reak It Down: Segment your goal into 30-minute actionable tasks. • 𝗥esources Identification: Evaluate necessary resources for each task—time, money, assistance. • 𝗜mplement Daily Commitment: Carve out 1.5 hours every day to focus on these tasks. • 𝗖heck-Ins Regularly: Assess progress and fine-tune your strategy continuously. • 𝗦tay Flexible: Be prepared to pivot based on new insights and challenges. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: It breaks down lofty goals into manageable actions. 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: Encourages a realistic assessment of time and effort. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: Fosters a deeper understanding of the path to your goals. 𝗗𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁𝘀: No more wondering why goals aren’t met or making excuses. We're talking clear steps, manageable tasks, and real timelines. It’s the step so many miss, then wonder why success seems just out of reach. Say goodbye to the guesswork and hello to hitting those milestones. 𝗜'𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀: Is time estimation your biggest hurdle in achieving your business goals? ----------------------- Hi, I'm Tanya Alvarez. I help B2B service-based entrepreneurs scale profitably and reclaim their time. Need help? Send me a DM.

Bad goal setting can cripple your business (I know from firsthand experience). Here's how to set goals that propel your business forward. Step 1: Analyze last year’s performance. You can’t set the right goals without the correct information. So, take some time to gather data from the previous year to find areas of strength and weakness. Look at your: Revenue streams — what are your most profitable areas? Your biggest cost centers? Sales & marketing — can you spot trends in customer acquisition or marketing ROI? Operations — where is your business bottlenecked? Where might you be overstaffed? Employee performance — look at productivity and churn. Which direction are things going? — Step 2: Brainstorm areas for improvement. Write down all the possible things you could work on. This is a great group activity for your leadership team or even the whole company (depending on your size). The data you’ve collected in step 1 should give you some idea of opportunity areas. One tip: don’t discount an idea just because it’s hard. Often the biggest impact things are hard to do. But you should be realistic about the effort required to get something done, and its chances of success. — Step 3: Set SMART goals Specific: Define clear and precise goals. Instead of saying "increase sales," say "increase sales by 12% in the next 6 months." Measurable: Ensure each goal has quantifiable metrics. E.g. "Reduce customer acquisition costs by 15% by the end of the year." Achievable: Set realistic goals based on your resources, budget and other constraints. E.g. if you have limited cash, avoid goals that would severely impact your monthly cash flow. Relevant: Align goals with your overall business objectives. Ensure they address the key areas for improvement identified earlier. Time-bound: Set deadlines for each goal. E.g. "launch a new service by Q3." — Step 4: Develop an Action Plan For each goal, create an action plan that outlines: Steps and Milestones: Break down each goal into smaller, manageable tasks. Set milestones to track progress. Resources: Identify the resources needed (time, money, personnel) and ensure they are available. Responsibilities: Assign tasks to specific employees. Ensure everyone understands their role and what is expected of them. Timeline: Establish a timeline with deadlines for each task and milestone. Doubling down on one point there: always assign tasks to a single person. They can still bring in other people to contribute, but it’s one person’s responsibility to get it across the finish line. — Step 5: Monitor and Adjust Goals are not static. Regularly check your progress, and adjust based on new insights or changing circumstances. Schedule monthly and/or quarterly reviews to keep everything on track. Having a simple KPI tracker is a good way to keep tabs on things. Make sure you’re regularly checking in, and ask people to flag any roadblocks or necessary adjustments as soon as they identify them.

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭? 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬. Last week, we talked about goal setting: defining clear targets to work toward in your business. But setting goals is just the beginning. The real challenge? Turning them into action. This week, the small business owner I’m helping started mapping out her roadmap for success. She has four main goals to target, but the key to achieving them isn’t just having the vision; it’s about breaking them down into actionable steps. Since she’s scaling her business, every process needs to be built for growth, from onboarding new performers to ensuring consistent quality and choosing the right tools that will scale with her. Every one of these steps ties back to her revenue goals and timeline targets. And as we worked through this, one major realization hit: Her website wasn’t built for scale. It lacked the right tools to support her growing business. She needed a platform that could not only serve as a marketing and booking tool but also manage her financials, track performances, and handle business operations, all without breaking under pressure. That meant pivoting and finding a system that could support her vision long-term. How to Turn Goals into Actionable Steps ✅ Start with the Big Picture Clearly define each major goal for your business. For her, these included: Expanding her team with new performers Standardizing quality and training Implementing scalable business tools Hitting revenue targets within a specific timeframe ✅ Break It Down Each goal needs smaller, actionable steps. For example, onboarding new performers requires: Creating a structured training program Setting up an evaluation process Establishing performance guidelines Developing an easy-to-follow onboarding system ✅ Identify Gaps & Roadblocks As she worked through her roadmap, she realized her website wasn’t built to support her business as it grew. Addressing that became an immediate priority. Ask yourself: Do your current systems support your goals, or are they holding you back? ✅ Assign Timelines & Owners Set realistic timelines for each milestone. If you have a team, assign owners to key tasks to drive accountability. ✅ Make It Measurable You can’t improve what you don’t track. Define KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for each step. No matter what it is, measure progress. Now that the roadmap is in place, the next step is execution. That’s where real progress happens. Are You Ready to Scale? Building a roadmap is one of the most important steps in scaling a business, but execution is where it all comes to life. Follow me for more insights, and reach out if you need help making sure your business is built for long-term success. #SmallBusinessSunday #BusinessGrowth #Scalability #GoalSetting #Entrepreneurship #ProcessImprovement