There are two types of goal setters in this world, the dreamers and the doers.   The difference between the two is action.

A New Year is always such an exciting time, a time to start fresh, to accomplish all those things that you kept putting off.  If you are like me, New Years is a time to reflect on your past year and set some new kickass business goals.

Setting goals is easy, achieving them is whole different story.

The problem with achieving goals are that unless a clear action plan is laid out, it’s truly unlikely that they will ever be reached.

As a beauty industry professional, there are virtually endless possibilities for growth.  You can focus on selling more product, booking more appointments, or maybe booking less appointments by increasing your rate.  Whatever it may be, it is important to create a clear goal and action plan to get there.

If you want to start creating goals that will drive you business to the next level and start checking them off like a boss then keep reading…

STEP 1 – MAKE IT S.M.A.R.T.

The first step in creating goals that will actually be achieved is making them smart.  Sounds simple right?

SMART Goals are often taught in the business world, it’s a proven method for creating goals that stick.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.  

For example, if your goal this year is to lose weight, your likely going to fail – sorry, but it’s the truth.

On the other hand,  if your goal is to lose 10 lbs and maintain a 20% body fat percentage by June 15th 2019 then, you are much more likely to succeed.

The goal above is:

  • Specific: Weigh 10 lbs less & maintain 20% body fat
  • Measurable: Your weight now – 10 lbs and a body fat percentage of 20%
  • Achievable: By eating correctly, going to the gym and cutting out sweets
  • Relevant: It is possible, and reasonable
  • Time bound: By June 15th deadline

By outlining the specifics and giving yourself a way to determine once your goal has been met then setting a deadline so you get out and actually do it, you have created a north star that leads to success.

A vague goal can really never be met.  Your goal needs to be defined.

Looking back at that vague goal now, you can likely understand why.

What exactly counts as “losing weight” 1 lb? 20 lbs?

When will you do it, this year? Next Year?

Is it achievable? Depends on the above, right?

When you fail to detail out your goal you’re making it really easy to forget about or put it off until you do.

 

STEP TWO –  DEFINE HOW

Defining your true goal is great and all but how you will get there is the most important part.  

You can SMART goal all day but you need to create an action plan for how you will get there to truly succeed.  

And guess what, yes, this also needs to be specific.

You will need to create a detailed map to where you want to be with detailed directions on how to get there.    The level of detail in this thing should feel like your giving directions to your senile great aunt from out of town.

Start at your end goal and work backward.

If your business goal is to increase product sales by 20% by Nov. 20th 2019 then you will need to get granular.

Break it down.

If current sales for the year are $12,000 that equates to $1,000 worth of product sold per month.

If you want to increase sales by 20% to $14,400 per year, that is $1,200 a month.

This means you will need to sell an additional $200 worth of product per month to reach your goal.

Now, how will you generate this extra $200 per month?

List it out

Create a brain dump of all the things you could do to create that additional product revenue.  For example:

  • Create product bundles to increase the average order size
  • Start featuring a “product of the month” in your social media and newsletters
  • Make it a point to ask every single client that comes in  if they need a refill on any products
  • Create a loyalty program to increase the incentive

Create daily, weekly, and monthly goals

Once you have your list of possibilities turn those into monthly, weekly, and/or daily goals.   

By creating baby steps, breaking it down, achieving that big goal becomes creating many tiny goals.   It is easy to forget that the little actions we take everyday are what move us to where we end up.


Large goals can’t be achieved overnight, they take persistence and dedication (that all eventually leads to the champagne popping!)  

STEP 3:  MAINTAIN

Now that you have your goals detailed out you will need to maintain them.

It is easy to fall into the excitement of creating new goals for the year to slowly realize a few weeks in that you have already broken your streak.

The key is constant reminders.

You can do this in many ways.

If you use a planner, write out your goals monthly and weekly every week.  Seeing your goal everyday is the best way to maintain consistency.

My personal favorite is a planner!

There is something magical about writing things out on paper that just makes things stick.  I use the Passion Planner and cannot say enough good things about it.
Passion Planner breaks your goals down into yearly, monthly, weekly,  and daily goals to make it SO easy to visualize exactly how you will achieve your goals.

Get yours here: https://amzn.to/2MdkQK6

And if you want to get really into it pick up some of these color gel pens that make you feel organized af: https://amzn.to/2TT58Gm

If your more of a digital person, you can also set recurring calendar reminders for monthly and weekly to keep you reminded of your goals.

There are also a ton of great reminder apps out there to help you stay on top of your goals.  Just search “reminder” in your app store and find one that calls your name.

IN CONCLUSION

Whatever you choose as your reminder method make sure you are checking in with yourself and learning along the way.  If you realize that monthly goals aren’t working for you and it’s easier to focus on daily steps to get there, DO IT.   As long as you are working towards your goals, the path you take is up to you. The steps to success are not set in stone (or concrete…).  Learn from your mistakes and find the method that ignites your motivation.

We are all different.  We all learn and respond to certain tactics differently.  Use this practice to find what works for you. Once you do that, you will be killing your goals in no time.

Think about it, if achieving all your goals was easy the whole world would be out living there best life (like their real best life, not the one they talk about on social media).  

By creating SMART goals, mapping out the path to your goals and taking the little steps to get them, you are 10x more likely to actually hit the finish line.

Now get out there and achieve those goals!

If your goals are to increase your business sales, book more appointments, or grow your business, we can help!  
Grow your knowledge to grow your business,  take a look at our courses here.