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Tuesday, January 03, 2023 by Streamline Brands

Setting SMART Goals to Make Your Business Ownership Dreams Come True

With the new year here at last, it’s an excellent time to begin thinking about what changes you’d like to make in 2023. Many employees have decided that becoming a business owner is the right move for them. With the Great Resignation still lingering in the world of employment, some workers continue to take matters into their own hands and become their own bosses.

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How does one begin the journey to their ideal life? It’s a little bit different for every individual. But setting clear goals is a great way to start – no matter who you are and where you stand. Paul J. Meyer describes the characteristics of SMART goals in his book titled “Attitude is Everything: If You Want to Succeed Above and Beyond”. The concept is an effective way of setting clear goals with clear objectives. Then measure the success of your efforts.

 

What S-M-A-R-T Means

So, what exactly does SMART stand for? It’s an acronym, but there’s in-depth meaning behind each letter of this goal-setting exercise. Starting from the top…

 

S- Specific. Be specific with your goals. Make a timeline and be as precise as possible with your expectations all along the way. Try to answer the 5 “W’s” along with these specifics. What do I want to accomplish? Why is the goal important? Who is involved? Where is it located? Which resources or limits are involved?

 

M- Measurable. It’s important that you can track your goals and see your progress. To properly measure your progress, you can answer these simple questions: How much? How many? How will I know when it’s been accomplished?

 

A- Achievable. Make sure you are setting reasonable goals for yourself. Stretching and growing is important also, but without realistic goals, one tends to get discouraged and overwhelmed easily. Simply ask yourself if there are limitations on you, financially, physically, or available time. Once you find your way through those limitations, you’ll find a great sense of accomplishment is left in the place of what used to be great doubt.

 

R- Relevant. This refers to making sure that your goals are relevant to you. Something that matters to you and aligns with your other goals in life. Your goals need to feel worthwhile to you and be within your reach, aside from the influence others will have as a variable.

 

T- Time Bound. It’s important to set a deadline for goals. This helps to keep you focused and not allow the small, mundane, everyday tasks to take over your time and consume it whole. When you are focused on the larger picture and your big long-term goals, it’s far easier to accomplish those goals. It keeps everything in perspective.

 

Keeping the SMART concept in mind, you should be able to make realistic goals come to life right before your eyes, be they six week goals, six month goals, or even six year goals. While the SMART concept is undoubtedly an excellent blueprint for goal setting, remember that you must also be flexible. Flexibility is key, and it’s necessary if you’re going to keep achieving your goals. As your world and framework changes, you must be able to change your goals within that world. But don’t allow yourself to become distracted by pesky challenges. Distractions can happen quite easily and pose a challenge to your progress. Assume they’ll always be present and plan accordingly.

 

The SMART method is a great way to set your own goals and monitor the progress along the way. If you need any assistance in getting started, let Streamline Brands lend a hand. We’re always available to help you kickstart your personal entrepreneurial journey!

 

Let’s Chat!

As the industry’s leading swim instruction franchising group, we’re dedicated to offering meaningful small business ownership opportunities. You can learn more about each of our individual brands by following these links:

 

 

SafeSplash, SwimLabs, and Swimtastic are the fastest growing swim school franchise brands and chances are there’s an opportunity near you. Finding a location is easy and fun. Simply visit our directory of schools, listed by state, and click on the results. If you’re interested in exploring franchise ownership with one of the Streamline Brands concepts, simply fill out this form and hit submit. We’ll be in touch soon!

 

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