The first question people often ask themselves when starting a new business is, "What do I want to accomplish?" This is a fair first question, but a better first question is, "What are my priorities?"
The problem with setting goals before priorities is that one determines accessibility to the other. If details of your business - like marketing, customer service, product development, etc. - aren't priorities, then you won't spend the time and resources developing those various aspects of your business. And if the details of your business aren't improved, then your business as a whole will not meet its goals.
The careful balance between priorities and goals also applies to prioritizing your business life with your personal life. Running a business is hard, it takes a lot of time and energy, and you likely have plenty of other demands on your time - family, friends, etc. But before you can set goals about your business, you have to assess how your personal priorities may affect your business priorities, expectations, and goals.
Whether you've done it conscientiously or not, you've already prioritized every aspect of your life. If you've found yourself spending your free time relaxing or reading or exercising, it's a good indication of what your natural priorities are. This means you may need to proactively reset your priorities and stick to them.
Once you've prioritized, you're finally able to start the goal-setting process. Again, these goals will be dependent on your ability to stick to your priorities, but as you set goals, continually references how they will fit with your priorities.
For instance, if your priorities only allow you to spend 10 to 15 hours per week on your online business (although this same principle works for traditional businesses), you need to set your long-term goals accordingly. How much will you be able to increase your traffic each month? How much revenue should you be able to bring in?
You will also need to sub-prioritize - perhaps on a weekly or monthly basis - how you're going to spend each of these hours. What's the most important aspect of your business to focus on this week? What is your target for the end of the week?
Again, you can apply this to any business and any industry. The important thing to remember is that in order to set goals and expectations that are reasonable and attainable, you'll need to first assess all the demands on your time and resources, and prioritize accordingly.
The problem with setting goals before priorities is that one determines accessibility to the other. If details of your business - like marketing, customer service, product development, etc. - aren't priorities, then you won't spend the time and resources developing those various aspects of your business. And if the details of your business aren't improved, then your business as a whole will not meet its goals.
The careful balance between priorities and goals also applies to prioritizing your business life with your personal life. Running a business is hard, it takes a lot of time and energy, and you likely have plenty of other demands on your time - family, friends, etc. But before you can set goals about your business, you have to assess how your personal priorities may affect your business priorities, expectations, and goals.
Whether you've done it conscientiously or not, you've already prioritized every aspect of your life. If you've found yourself spending your free time relaxing or reading or exercising, it's a good indication of what your natural priorities are. This means you may need to proactively reset your priorities and stick to them.
Once you've prioritized, you're finally able to start the goal-setting process. Again, these goals will be dependent on your ability to stick to your priorities, but as you set goals, continually references how they will fit with your priorities.
For instance, if your priorities only allow you to spend 10 to 15 hours per week on your online business (although this same principle works for traditional businesses), you need to set your long-term goals accordingly. How much will you be able to increase your traffic each month? How much revenue should you be able to bring in?
You will also need to sub-prioritize - perhaps on a weekly or monthly basis - how you're going to spend each of these hours. What's the most important aspect of your business to focus on this week? What is your target for the end of the week?
Again, you can apply this to any business and any industry. The important thing to remember is that in order to set goals and expectations that are reasonable and attainable, you'll need to first assess all the demands on your time and resources, and prioritize accordingly.
| Courtney Buell is a writer at Professional Marketing International. Prior to joining PMI, Courtney obtained a bachelors degree in Humanities and wrote for various print and online publications in Salt Lake City. Professional Marketing International helps people achieve their dreams. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Courtney_Buell |
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