As the year winds down and our attention focuses on the holidays and family, I’ve found that this is also the ideal time to reflect on what has taken place and what we want our businesses to look like in the coming year.

For many years I resisted actually committing my goals to paper. Part of it was that I superstitiously thought that I might jinx my chances of success by doing so. Not surprisingly, the exact opposite happened. By not committing myself in writing, I tended to fail to think through completely precisely what it was that I wanted to accomplish. That’s not to say that all my goals were (or are) always achieved. However, I do firmly believe that I stand a much better chance of actually achieving them if for no other reason than by writing them down, I will remember them.

So what types of goals do I think business owners should focus on? These are the ones I give serious thought to and perhaps they will be helpful to you as well.

My first goal is to make sure that my business continues to focus on problems that are still real and relevant. All businesses exist to solve problems and it’s those problems that become the key component of our marketing messages, blog postings and website content. However the reality is that problems change. What was a big issue last year no longer has the same level of importance as the calendar moves from December to January. Make sure that the problems you solve still are important to those you serve.

Like most business owners I also set goals that revolve around revenue, number of new clients and profitability. And while those goals are important, the next goal is the most important one of all. I simply call it, “How will I get there?”

For many years I would write down my goals and just assume by having them identified I would, sort of by osmosis, achieve them. Not surprisingly that was a huge mistake. Thus about 3 years ago, I’ve taken the time to go to the next step and actually write down “how” I planned to achieve them.

Some of the “how” items are mechanical in nature. Things such as create new websites, better marketing collateral etc. However, the most important goals in this area were those that revolved around “How was I going to grow as an individual and business owner?”

For me this meant focusing on three things and making a commitment to achieving them.

1) What books am I going to read in the coming year?
2) What seminars will I attend?
3) What coach can work with me personally to help me achieve all the other goals I’ve set out for myself.

In my case, hiring a coach and participating in a mastermind mentoring program has been the most important investment I’ve made in myself. Finding the right program does take effort but if you are seriously committed to achieving your “New Year’s Goals” it’s a vitally important step. It’s worked for me, hopefully it will work for you too.

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