“Creating a vision” took on a whole new meaning as 2019 came to an end. As soon as we saw 2020 coming into view, creatives were jumping all over it to tie in their message and reach out to their audience in a more profound way. So not to miss an opportunity  to “ride the wave,” creating a vision for your business in 2020 is what this post is all about.

Creating a vision and planning for your future is certainly nothing new. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

The Psychology of Goals

We often “hope” to achieve a goal but there is a big difference between a “hope” and a “goal.” A “hope” has no real framework or definition to it whereas a “goal” has a clear path to success. This success depends heavily, though, on your “Why” for doing this. Can you identify how is your goal connected to your “why” for your business?

Setting effective goals involves both looking back to what worked and what didn’t and looking forward to what we want to achieve. So first take a look back at your business last year. Take a minute to answer these questions.

1. If you had to rate your business last year on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being awful and 10 being awesome) how do you think things went? Why would you think that?
2. What were your big wins in 2019?
3. What would you want to change if you could?
4. What are the things in your business that you planned on doing but never got around to?

Step #1- Looking Back

Ask yourself these questions as you look back over your business last year.

1. Did you set goals for 2019? Did you reach any or all of those goals?
2. Think back over your challenges and how you met them and what you learned from them.
3. It is important to recognize the things worth celebrating. What were some of the big wins in your business last year?
4. Did you set a revenue goal for your business and did you reach it?
5. Finally, can you identify what were your biggest time wasters? This might seem like a curve ball but it will also help you identify what you want to work on in the coming year.

Step # 2- Looking Forward

So, what are your goals? Where do you want your business to be in 1 year? Where do you want your business to be in 3-5 years? Having short term and long term goals are critical to achieving lasting success. If you can break your long term goals down into short term goals, you will find that you will achieve your long term goals much faster.

There are a number of categories that you might want to consider. Some of these will fit with your business and some might not. Feel free to add or subtract categories that will help you the most. Here are some suggestions that are common:

• Financial
• Infrastructure
• Staffing
• Marketing
• Sales
• Customer Service
• Products and Services
• Personal Goals

You decide what those categories will be but try to include everything for setting at least a few goals to give you a complete picture of your business.

Once you have an idea of where you want your business to be in 3-5 years you can break that down into short term goals that will help you get there. One thing to note is that it is important to make sure that these are YOUR dreams and not someone else’s dreams for you or their expectations of you.

Connect Your Short Term Goals to Your Long Term Goals

It has been said that “Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.” So, as you begin reaching your goals, that is your cue to begin planning for your long-term goals.

Where do you want your business to be in 3-5 years? Can you picture it in your mind? Once you have that clear picture you begin setting your goals for what it will take to get there. Your short term goals will be held up against that picture to make sure that they will actually move your forward to that goal. Decide if your short term goals can scale and get you to where you want to be. If they are not, then you need to tweak them until they are in alignment with your long term goals.

So, will 2020 be more than just symbolic  in what the future holds for your business? This is a great chance to “catch this wave” and let it move you forward to new heights and possibilities for your business. Here’s to you and all the future holds!