This week we are going to talk about 2020 and setting some smart goals.

What’s up Fish Fans! My name is Marcus. You’re watching Marketing Madness, the Blue Fish vlog!

It is that time of year again. The weather is starting to cool off. Pumpkin everything has hit the shelves. If you are in retail you are gearing up for your busy season. If you are a service provider then you are gearing up for your slow season. Either way, if you are one that persues growth you should be setting some time aside to plan for next year.

With 2020 quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about what we want to accomplish in the new year. Goal setting is the most crucial element to fulfilling your dreams and accomplishing the things you desire most.

When it comes to goals they need to be SMART. SMART goals are something we have talked about 3 or 4 times in the past. They are that important that I will continue to encourage you to use them to achieve your dreams. SMART Goals are so important that the Emerging Leaders program put on by the Small Business Administration spends a few weeks in the course making sure that business owners get them nailed down.

An easy goal that will resonate with most business owners is the goal of a specific amount of revenue. But just saying you want to make $100k, or $1M, or whatever the dollar amount is not enough. In order for it to be SMART it has to abide by the following:

SMART goals are:

Your SMART goals should be Specific. You need to state what it is you are going to do. Are you going to generate $1M in top-line revenue in 2020?

They need to be Measurable. Revenue goals easily allow for this. This should make it easy to evaluate success.

SMART goals are achievable. If you just started, is it within reach for you to generate $1M?

It should be relevant. They should improve the business or move it forward

And they are time-bound. Achieving the goal should happen within a specific, and defined time frame.

With revenue goals, I would encourage you to take it one step further. Break it down by month, you are probably going to grow in business as the year progresses. If you sell a product, how many of those widgets are you going to need to sell each month to get to the goal? If you sell a service, how many people are you going to need to fulfill the demand? Start blowing up your thinking around the goals. The smaller you can break down the activities the easier it will be to achieve them.

I cannot stress just how important this activity is. Making a plan and taking action will help you attain your goals.

Well, that’s a wrap for this week! I want to thank you for checking in. Make sure to hit that like button. And if you have any questions or comments leave them down below. If you want to talk about how Blue Fish can help you grow your business just send us a message and we’ll get the conversation started!