Making Progress

Don’t wait until the end of the year to check in with your business goals

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The end of June will mark the halfway point of 2019.

I had to sit a moment and let that sink in. Partly because the process behind putting the magazine together requires that I’m writing this in March. And partly because I needed to take stock of the fact that another year is quickly going by and it will actually be June before I know it.

June is a nice time of year, especially for those of us living in climates with four distinct seasons (including a very long winter). The midway point is also a great time to check in with yourself and your business and see how things are going. If you set goals at the beginning of the year, set aside some time soon to evaluate your progress.

If you don’t think things are quite measuring up to your expectations, make some adjustments. One wise move is making your goals both quantifiable and actionable. If you just say you want to “increase revenue,” that broad statement can set you up for failure before you even get started. If you don’t have a plan in place, including ways to check your progress, all the effort you’re putting into your work can feel directionless.

If you set a goal to increase revenue by a specific amount, say 20%, that gives you something to shoot for. You’ll know the numbers you need to hit monthly or each quarter. You can work on putting a plan in place to help your technicians get more efficient. Maybe in order to really see the growth you want, you’ll have to hire someone. Checking in on the progress more regularly can help you make decisions to keep moving toward that goal.

While long-term goals or resolutions can be highly motivating, for some people they don’t work as well. It can be hard for any number of reasons to stick with big changes. Maybe you’re not seeing results as soon as you thought you would, which can be incredibly discouraging. If it feels like you bit off more than you can chew, take a step back and re-evaluate.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t dream big. But making smaller, actionable goals that can be achieved in a shorter time frame might be the way to get back on track. Breaking up a larger goal into quarterly or even monthly achievements makes the bigger picture more manageable and helps you stay on track. Plus, you’ll get a little mental boost every time you meet those shorter milestones.

It can also be a time to increase your goals if you’re already well on your way to meeting them. It’s wise not to bury yourself under unrealistic expectations, but if you’re already close to achieving your goals for the year, don’t sell yourself short. Keep inching that benchmark up and you’ll get where you want to be that much sooner.

Hopefully at this midway point in the year you feel good about where your business is heading. If not, this is the perfect time to evaluate and make adjustments to finish the year strong.

I hope you enjoy this month’s issue.



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