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 dull, 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 chase doing good business keeps me seeking to do better. And keep going. Then, accomplish more, such as gaining new customers.

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

No Wishy-Washy Business 

But, there’s an essential point for accomplishing what you want. As a business, having specific 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 for being on track.

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 more challenging part of the equation, because envisioning your target goal is a lot easier than achieving it. 

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

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

Ensure you obtain an unbiased perspective when evaluating your business. Please.

Because here’s the kicker. If you find that you are unable to map out the action steps for a viable path to achieve the results you want within a reasonable time, then perhaps you need to reassess. 

You may need to recover from burnout if you try to do too much for being on track.

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 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 just a starting point and a goal to reach, 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 for Being on Track

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 larger companies, assigning action steps to different people for specific goals or directions helps complete what matters most, ultimately assisting in achieving your most relevant business objectives.

If you need to review your thinking, consider consulting 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 to be on track with your business.

As you continue to achieve your desired results, you can gradually increase your 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 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 its corresponding result is straightforward. 

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 essential in terms of both the company and operations. 

Then take things a step further by defining critical actions —the systematic pieces that get things done on a day-to-day basis, which in turn cause bigger things to happen. List three 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.  

Conclusion: 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, actually to 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 on track for your business now?