From the archives…. I wrote this blog about 4 years ago, it’s a great example of goal setting and of course I’ve added an update at the end. Happy reading!
I do a lot of work with my clients on goal setting. It’s something very few business owners do. They may have an idea in their head of where they are going and what they want, but they never actually write them down and plan how they are going to achieve them.
Not surprisingly, business owners who do take the time to identify what it is going to take to get them to where they want to be are far more likely to succeed.
You’d be surprised how many business owners don’t really have an answer when I ask them what their goals are for the coming year.
The tables were turned on me recently, when a client asked me what my goal was – my answer was so simple she was rather taken aback!
“I just want a Pug” I replied.
This may seem like a really simple goal, and it is; but for this to happen there are things that need to be in place before I can have my Pug.
Firstly, I can’t take my Pug to work. Our office is great, like a home from home, but we share the building and facilities with 5 other businesses and the last thing they want is a yapping pup in the building when they are on the phone to clients.
Goal – new office space. So either move the office home or find a space that’s just ours so Pug can come to work with us.**
Secondly, I visit clients throughout the week and spend time working in their offices, my poor pup would be left alone for hours at a time.
Goal – We need to look at our work patterns, bring in freelancers to do the jobs we can delegate, or look at doggy day care!
Thirdly, our garden isn’t puppy proof, too much hedge and it’s patrolled by 2 mean tom cats. My tom cats!
Goal – is moving house too drastic? No, not if it’s part of your big plan!
Fourthly, fitting ‘walkies’ into our busy schedule would be tricky. As we travel to work by car we often drop the kids off on route, so we don’t get much exercise either!
Goal – we have 2 options here, move the office closer to home so we can walk the pup and the children to school, or change our work pattern so we start work later.
Now, I know all these seem a bit much, planning to relocate and change the business just so I can have a Pug, but it’s about so much more than that.
I started my business so I could fit my work around my family, but like most business owners I got so wrapped up in growing and running my business I find myself doing more hours than ever.
Each step I take towards this goal will improve my business; new premises, outsourcing the tasks that I don’t need to be doing, making us more efficient so we can be more flexible in our working day. All of which has now been strategically planned – which means the ultimate reward is more family time, quality time with my children and husband and then…yes, I can have my Pug too!
Your goals will be totally different to mine, but the process of how we identify what’s stopping us from achieving them and how we plan and put processes in place will be the same.
I could go online, find a breeder and get my Pug now, but it wouldn’t be right. All the reasons why I can’t will still be there, and it will put more pressure on us as a family.
By identifying why I can’t have my Pug and putting the systems in place means it will be a smooth and more rewarding process – and this is the same for your business, so do yourself a favour and grab a pen and write down your goals and start planning – it will keep you focused and make sure you get where you want to go.
** Getting closer to the goal – I have moved offices and identified the perfect place for a dog bed so one step closer to getting my Pug!!
Update July 2019 - WOW so much has happened since I first wrote this blog. Yes, we moved office, then we moved our office home and now we have amazing office space right in the centre of Ulverston. We moved house too, nice garden, no hedges and perfect for a puppy!
And yes we got a puppy – although not a pug!
Here’s me looking at pug breeders and turns out my now 12 year old son wants a dog he can run round a field and play foot ball with. Hike up Hoad with and be his companion not mine.
So, we took a trip out to a lovely farm in Carlisle and came home with a gorgeous border collie pup. It took the kids a while to whittle down the short list of 39 names (I’m not joking) and we called him Marley!
We don’t take him to work with us, turns out he’s not very sociable but he is officially part of the team. Marley is officially Head of Inspiration, the perfect team member to walk across the beach with to help you clear your head, come up with fabulous new ideas and it’s when we draft our best content…and as for the pug?
Still on my goal list, just have to wait a bit longer…
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