Are you a goal-setter?

Do you love to make a plan, create a list, schedule your time etc or does this just feel like another task to complete, create overwhelm, or feelings of inadequacy?

It's easily done, you only have to look at my ridiculously long to-do list to see how aspirational I am, but for goals to be SMART, you have to be realistic - small business owners are tenacious, hard-working and resilient, but there's always more to do than hours in the day.

So how do you prevent burnout or a severe case of "busy fool syndrome"?

Well, when it comes to budget setting and forecasting projects, I use a decision matrix, so I wondered it if could be applied to assessing personal or business priorities.

Here's my take on a decision matrix for financial scenarios.

I think the implementation axis is still relevant, to achieve my goal, what budget, timeframe, and investment in myself are required?

The impact axis may need a little more adaptation. Of course, value is absolutely valid, and volume could pertain to growth, but perhaps margins are a bit of a harsh financial measurement for setting targets that are likely to have a much more emotional impact than a profit forecast? 🤔

It's that time of year...

Many of us will be reviewing the year gone by and contemplating what we might achieve in 2025. Some may be devising a list of New Year's Resolutions.

How about you?

Are you filled with enthusiasm for this type of reflection and planning, or does it put a complete dampener on your festive spirit?

A different approach...

For those who get overwhelmed or simply bored, by targets, goal setting, planning etc, I've come across a couple of alternatives lately.

1. A great collaborator and valuable member of my professional circle, posted about a free tool called the YEAR COMPASS. It's like a mini-workbook where you can structure your thoughts when reflecting on the year gone by and the one we're about to embark on. I've downloaded mine, in anticipation of some quiet time over the festive period. If you're interested, here's the full post.
2. At this week's Drive the Collaborative Network meeting, we were challenged to "work with intent" by focusing on just one thing that we will start, one thing we will sustain and one thing that we will commit to stopping.

Here's my pledge, (we all know the power of writing down and sharing goals).

START: I have spent much of 2024 investing in my CPD, so that I can spread my wings regarding consulting and supporting small businesses. I will plan a content strategy that focuses on advisory work rather than traditional accounting and tax compliance over the next month or so. I commit to implementing that by April 2025 at the latest.

SUSTAIN: Since September 2024, I have been investing in processes, templates and workflows to make delegation easier. I will continue to empower and develop the skills of my team so that we can improve service levels and make even more impact.

STOP: I will stop worrying about what I haven't done, and give more credence to what I have achieved in each day/week/month. Now that my business is maturing (18 months old on 31st December 2024) I will stop trying to help everyone I meet and focus on building a portfolio of quality clients that match my personal values and aspirations. I know who my ideal clients are, but like most start-ups, it's difficult to stay on track and easy to find reasons to agree to work with anyone who shows an interest in the early days.

I shall be asking each of my clients to share their START, SUSTAIN, STOP pledges with me over the next few weeks and I hope that you will share yours too (either here, or by emailing toni@hunterfds.co.uk if you'd prefer to keep them away from this public platform.)