The Top Characteristics Every Business Goal Needs to be Effective

Table of Contents

Do all your best ideas live in your head?

Perhaps you know exactly how you want your business to look, and the type of lifestyle you want to have as a business owner… yet these goals never seem to come to fruition.

I wish my business could be…” can turn into “I can’t believe my business is…!” depending on the qualities of your goals.

An effective goal has the following characteristics:

list of characteristics of effective goals

1. Have a purpose

I’ve worked with over 400 small business owners, and their goals all have one thing in common. Each goal has a purpose. It’s the one thing that makes the difference between setting a goal and actually reaching it.

Although you are setting goals for your business, the purpose has to be personal. What will it mean to you when you reach that goal?

A purpose is key to achieving your goals.

Achieving your goals Icon

Discover more than just the characteristics of effective goals.

Get unlimited access to our free workshop that goes into in-depth strategies for achieving your goals.

Click here to sign up!

2. Write your goal down

Write down exactly what it is that you are working so hard to achieve and why.

It is well researched that business leaders who set clearly defined written goals achieve greater results than when goals are not documented.

Write down your goal so you can easily refer to it when you start to lose sight or motivation. You can also use a written goal as a guiding point when you need to decide what tasks to prioritize.

Which tasks are supporting your goal?

What is the goal of your business? characteristics of effective goals

3. Create an activity plan

Your goals can be broken down into small, manageable actions. These actions create your activity plan.

By analyzing these actions you can see what systems you need to reach your goals.

Often times small business owners have lofty goals. We are visionaries after all. I believe any goal can be reached with the right strategies and systems.

To help make your big goals more accessible, you can break it down into the areas of leadership, operations, finances, team, and sales/marketing. This creates a road map for you and your team to make your goals happen.

Dreams written down are goals and goals drive actions for success

characteristic of effective goals activity plan example

4. Be measurable

A goal is an aim or target. How do you know if you are on track to that target?

A client of mine wanted to open a second bakery location. She knew she was on track towards this goal by measuring the amount of money she was able to set aside each month. To her, a monetary value was the key.

Another client measured their goal of “increased brand authority” by the engagement and quantity of their social media followers.

What will the the indicator that you are on track to reaching your goals?

5. Be tracked

Once you know how to measure your goal, you’ll want to check in to make sure everything is going as planned.

Schedule time on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis to see if your actions are bringing you closer to your goals.

characteristics of effective goals strategy, including vision and systems.

6. Be shared with your team

As entrepreneurs, we tend to keep our goals in our head where they are powerful and vivid yet, not very useful if we want to achieve them. Business owners moving towards prosperity and freedom must write down and share their goals with everyone connected with the organization.

Share your goals with your team. That includes your employees and your circle that supports you outside of your business— your husband, partner, family and friends.

Instead of working alone towards something, everyone is making the load lighter and the probability of reaching that goal so much greater.

What do your goals look like?

This is a perfect time to set effective goals for a brand new year. Do your goals have all the characteristics listed above?

What will it be like for your business once that goal is achieved?

What will it be like for your life once that goal is achieved?

Until next year, enjoy your Entrepreneurial Journey!

Beverlee Signature
Achieving goals icon

Want to know more than just the characteristics of effective goals?

Watch our free goal planning workshop that builds on everything you read here.

Click here to sign up!

Share:

P.S. Do you have my new book yet?

Increase your own SEO by leaving a review, seriously , it works.

Available now:

An absolute game-changer! Small Business, Big Opportunity is a must-read for any entrepreneur tired of spinning their wheels. This book is your roadmap to small business success.

Amazon #1 Best Seller
Systems Business Coach Logo

The Small Business Field Guide

FREE chapter sent directly to your inbox!

The Small Business Field Guide | Systems Business Coach

The Small Business Field Guide

Written in clear, simple language with actionable steps, pragmatic tools and proven systems.

Book_1

Small Business, BIG Opportunity

Systematize Your Business, Create Personal Freedom, and Live the Entrepreneurial Dream

Systems Business Coach Logo

Position Agreement Template

Have a reliable and organized team!

Systems Business Coach Logo

Target Market Analysis Template

Boost your sales with this questionnaire and customer profile.

Free Report

How the Canadian Government Supports Small Businesses with Training and Coaching

Systems Business Coach Logo

Top 10 Hiring Mistakes Guide

FREE download sent directly to your inbox!

Newsletter Envelope Icon

Free Download

Enter your email and we will send you our Tech Inventory Database for free!

Systems Business Coach Logo

Use this FREE cash flow planner to prepare for emergencies, hard times or growth. Accurately solve problems with the cash you have, not with the cash you are planning for.