Are You Being On Track For Your Business To Grow Saavy?

I know being on track for my business isn’t always feasible. However, I don’t know about you, but for me, I never feel like I’m on schedule for what I want to do. 

On the other hand, I never in my entire decades-spanning business career feel like I will run out of things I want to work on, either. EVER. My life is never boring, that’s for sure.

Are you on track for what you want to accomplish this year? 

Are You On Track For Your Small Business?

The thing is, I think this restlessness and feeling of chaos as I’m chasing down doing good business, keeps me seeking to do better. And keep going. Then accomplish more like gaining new customers.

It makes me keep trying, just like feeling gratitude does.  Are you on track for your business this year? Are you seeing growth? 

No Wishy-Washy Business 

But, there’s an important point for accomplishing what you really want. As a business,having a specific goal or goals gives you direction and a way to measure your progress.

It’s so easy to get off track in reaching your business objectives, so identifying a set of goals is an essential first step. 

Too many businesses are wishy-washy about what they are doing or are scattered rather than focused on a clear objective(s). 

Hit Your Targets For Being On Track

When you know and understand your primary goal, you have a clear target to hit. You have a clear focus.

Therefore, you give yourself a set measurement to achieve. Accomplishing what you want can only happen when you know what that is, right? It helps you get over your fears too.

Guess what? Now comes the harder part of the equation because envisioning your target goal is a lot easier than getting there. 

And to get there, you need to get an accurate picture of where you are now. Remember the part where I mentioned how where you are now and where you’re going matters?

Well, this is it for being on track. 

Be Realistic to Stay on Track

Because, if you aren’t realistic about where you are now compared to where you want to be, you’re less likely to reach your target. Not only that, but conduct an evaluation to dial in on the exact steps necessary to ensure the results you want. 

The difference between merely setting a target and reaching it starts with this careful evaluation step. Then, plan the actions in (smaller) steps to get you there for the next part.

Sue-Ann Bubacz, Write Mix For Business

Make sure you are getting an unbiased perspective in evaluating your business. Please.

Because, here’s the kicker. If you find you are unable to map the action steps for a viable path to get the results you want, and in a reasonable time period, then maybe you need to reset. 

Accurate Evaluation, Resource Allocation, and Action

For example, you may find you don’t have the resources—either time, materials, or money—to reach your goal. Setting unattainable goals means failure and so it may be better to set smaller goals leading to your ultimate goal.

As long as you break down goals into doable proactive steps and then specify a timeframe to get there, you can ultimately reach your goals. (Hint: Without setting completion dates, even if in stages, you lose the accountability a timeline gives you.)

More than a place to start and goal to end, accurately determining needs and resources along with a realistic timeline is essential. 

If you can’t visualize and plan the steps from where you are to where you are going with certainty, you may have red flags to consider.

Remember, You want to set yourself up for success. 

I know you want to shoot for the moon and I want you to get there. But, if you aren’t reasonable about the results you expect, and if you can’t connect the dots from your current position to the desired results, you may be sabotaging yourself.

Being on track is really about connecting the dots.

Look at Your Business in Tiers

If you are self-employed or running a small or boutique business, having too many goals at once adds confusion and chaos to accomplishing what matters most.

Even for bigger companies, assigning action steps to different people for different goals or directions to complete what matters most, assists in achieving your most relevant business goals.

If you need to check your thinking, refer to your Board of Directors, outside advisory sources, or trusted mentors.

Simply put, your focus is to understand and highlight top-level goals, allocate resources to achieve them, and monitor progress. 

Track and Review

When you continually track, review, and adjust operations to reach, sustain, and build on your goals, you’ll steadily move the needle for the results you want.

It’s not about dreaming and wishing something happens but about making it happen with purpose.

Look for areas where you can save money or time for being on track with your business.

As you continue to hit your desired results, you can level up expectations, working to meet or exceed them over time.

The more you work within a reasonable and realistic plan of action, the better your focus and ability to stay on track, reaching business targets. 

Define Action and Result for Being on Track

Start with a controlling idea. Your “why” in business. This “why” makes it perfectly clear why you do what you do and guides the entire organization and everyone in it.

With this overarching premise, defining a core action and result is easy. 

Within this framework, the next component is creating a Mission Statement to further hone in on your core business objective and calibrate direction. Understanding the benefits of a shared mission solidifies a unified effort to reach goals. 

Mission Statement For Being On Track

Be sure to make your Mission Statement a team sport.  This means every member has a part in moving forward in a single direction.

Define core values to reflect the characteristics of what’s important in terms of both the company and operations. 

Then take things a step further by defining critical actions, the systematic pieces to get the things done on a day-to-day basis to cause bigger things to happen. List 3 things for each role or department to create a daily momentum towards achieving the big picture.

By breaking things down to create a universal understanding of the mission and setting expectations to reach goals, success is driven by purpose. That helps you being on track for your small business.  

Your Turn: Being On Track To Grow Your Business

Maybe, as I often do when I write, I’m reminding myself as well as you, just how important it is to set goals along with mapping out an action plan to actually achieve them.

As we approach the next quarter of the year, it’s not too late to regroup, recheck, and realign actions and goals for a big finish.

Are you being on track for your business now?