How to Set Business Goals You Can Actually Achieve.
- samueljpart
- Feb 25
- 4 min read
Setting goals for your business should make decision-making easier—but for many small business owners, goals end up being vague, unrealistic, or completely disconnected from the actions needed to achieve them.
If you’ve ever set a revenue target or growth goal and found yourself wondering “Okay… but how do I actually get there?”, you’re not alone.
Here are the biggest mistakes small businesses make when setting goals—and what to do instead.
1. Setting Big Goals Without Clear Steps to Achieve Them
❌ “We want to hit £500K in revenue this year.”
❌ “We want to get 100 new clients.”
❌ “We want to scale the business.”
All of these are great goals on paper—but without a clear process to get there, they’re just numbers on a page.
Fix It: Link Your Goals to Proven Actions
Your targets should be made up of repeatable tasks that have been proven to work. Instead of just setting a revenue number, break it down into small, measurable, and repeatable actions:
🚀 Example: Instead of “We need 100 new clients”, figure out:
Where your best past clients came from (networking, referrals, cold outreach, ads?).
How many leads you typically need to land one new client.
How many sales calls or proposals it takes to close a deal.
Then turn this into a repeatable process:
✅ “If 1 in 5 sales calls converts into a paying customer, we need to book 500 calls this year—about 10 per week. That means we need to reach out to 30 potential clients per week.”
💡 When you track what works, goal-setting becomes data-driven—not wishful thinking.
2. Confusing Aspirations with Strategy
Many business owners set aspirational goals but don’t build a real strategy to support them.
❌ “We need to grow our brand.” (What does that mean? More sales? More reach? More engagement?)
❌ “We want to increase revenue.” (How? More customers? Higher pricing? New products?)
Fix It: Turn Goals into Measurable Milestones
A goal without a strategy is just a wish. Break it into tangible, trackable steps:
🚀 Example: Instead of “We need to grow our brand”, define:
What does “growth” look like? More website traffic? More followers? More inbound leads?
What marketing activities have historically worked? Double down on proven channels.
What’s a realistic monthly or quarterly milestone to track progress?
✅ “We will grow website traffic by 20% in 3 months by increasing LinkedIn engagement and publishing two expert articles per month.”
💡 This makes growth a process, not just a vague hope.
3. Setting Goals Without Tracking the Right Metrics
If you don’t track what’s working and what’s not, you’ll waste time on things that feel productive but don’t actually drive results.
🔹 Are you tracking the wrong numbers? (E.g., social media likes instead of actual leads.) 🔹 Are you guessing what’s working? (Instead of using lead tracking and sales data.) 🔹 Do you know your key performance indicators (KPIs)?
Fix It: Measure What Actually Moves the Needle
Not all metrics are equally valuable. Some look good but don’t actually lead to revenue.
🚀 Example: ✅ Instead of tracking website traffic alone, track:
How many website visitors turn into leads.
How many leads turn into sales calls.
How many calls convert into paying customers.
✅ Instead of tracking social media followers, track:
How many people engage with your posts.
How many direct messages or inquiries you receive.
How many social media contacts convert into sales.
💡 If you track what actually leads to revenue, you’ll know where to focus your efforts.
4. Not Reviewing and Adjusting Goals Regularly
Many business owners set goals once and never look at them again. They either forget about them or keep working toward a goal that’s no longer relevant.
🔹 Did something in the market shift? 🔹 Have customer needs changed? 🔹 Are some strategies working better than others?
Fix It: Set Regular Strategy Reviews
🚀 Example: If your lead tracking shows cold outreach is underperforming, but referrals are converting at a higher rate, you might shift focus to a referral strategy.
✅ Set a monthly check-in to review what’s working and what’s not. ✅ Make data-driven adjustments based on real results. ✅ Refine your daily and weekly tasks to align with proven successes.
💡 A flexible strategy is a successful strategy.
Final Thoughts: How to Set Goals That Actually Work
If your business goals aren’t driving real results, it’s time to rethink the process.
🚀 Here’s how to fix it:
✅ Set clear, measurable targets with specific numbers.
✅ Base your strategy on proven, repeatable actions.
✅ Track real business metrics (not just vanity numbers).
✅ Regularly review and adjust based on performance.
If you’re struggling to turn goals into real, actionable strategies, I help businesses break it down into a repeatable, trackable process.
📅 Book a free 30-min call, and let’s refine your strategy together.
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