Realizing your goals in 2023 is within reach if you create a plan, stay motivated, and use the right tools. From setting your goals to creating your vision statement and making plans, this guide will provide tips to achieve your goals in 2023.
In our January blog: Setting Goals versus Making Resolutions, I discussed the importance of setting goals in relation to one’s happiness. If you still need to set goals for 2023, I invite you to read the January blog. In this February blog, I will be discussing how to achieve the goals you have set out for 2023.
What Percentage of Small Businesses Fail
I hate talking about businesses failing because our goal at International Executive Technology is to help businesses succeed. But it is essential to know what small businesses are up against in starting their business and surviving over the long term.
Data from the Commerce Institute shows that an average of 80% of employer businesses survive the first year, 70% survive at least two years, 50% survive at least five years, 30% survive at least ten years, and 25% survive at least fifteen years. What happens to all of those businesses that don’t survive? I won’t discuss at this time the many reasons businesses fail. But I can give you some tips on succeeding and achieving your goals!
1. Identify Your Goals and Objectives.
Before you start working on a plan to reach your goals, it is essential to define your goals clearly. Start by writing down short-term and long-term goals. Later, you will break them down into smaller actionable steps that will move you closer to where you want to be. Set realistic and achievable objectives for yourself that can be easily measured so that you can track your progress along the way. Here is an example of a goal for a dentist:
Goal: To expand our practice by adding a dentist and additional hygienist to provide high-quality service to all the members of our surrounding community.
2. Create a Vision Statement.
A vision statement is a statement of the purpose of your goal. I’ll use the example of the dentist again.
Vision Statement: To eliminate gum disease and future dental work for all of our community’s patients for a lifetime.
Do you see how the vision statement states the purpose of the dentist’s goal above?
So, as your next step after writing your goals, create a vision statement that keeps motivation strong and provides direction to the goal. Envision the result of achieving your goals.
3. Map Out an Action Plan to Achieve Your Goals.
Once you have your goal and vision statement, develop an action plan. That starts with breaking down the goal into manageable pieces so that success becomes achievable bit by bit. Divide your larger goals into smaller objectives and milestones, estimating how long it will take to reach each one. Break the plan down into weekly or monthly steps, ensuring all aspects of achieving your goal are taken care of – from financial requirements to the timeline for completing tasks.
4. Monitor Your Progress and Adjust as Needed.
Closely monitor your plan to ensure it stays on track. As you complete each milestone, review your progress, and acknowledge your success when you reach a significant step of your plan. If there are hiccups, don’t get discouraged – instead, step back, reflect on what went wrong, and modify your approach to move forward. Ask for help from mentors or peers if needed so that everything gets done on schedule and you can still reach the intended destination by 2023.
5. Create Balance in Your Life.
If you are a business owner, you carry most of the workload on your shoulders and work much longer hours than your employees, which can create an imbalance in your life to where your other responsibilities and joys suffer. You want to balance your work with all of the different aspects of your life. So, set your goals for your personal self and your family and do the above steps with those goals too.
Final Words
I’ve gone over these tips briefly. There can be a lot of factors and details to working out your goals, vision statement, and plans. If doing the above seems overwhelming to you, that’s understandable. We know you have a lot on your plate in running your business. International Executive Technology is here to help you set your goals and plans to succeed in 2023. We have over 45 years of experience assisting companies in achieving their dreams with proper planning.
The first step we take with any business is a thorough evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the company. We do this through comprehensive business analysis. I invite you to fill out our free business analysis questionnaire. This is a free service, and there are no obligations.
We wish you success in 2023!
Rohn Walker
President
International Executive Technology