The start of a new year brings fresh opportunities to assess where your business is headed and lay out a roadmap for success. With this in mind, we went to the NAWBO membership to see what insight our own NAWBO Iowa experts have for crafting goals that can drive your business forward.

Lori Vande Krol (A Life Made Simple) and Ann Wright (The Wright Coaching & Training Solutions), were kind enough to answer our questions and provide valuable tips on creating goals that can help drive meaningful progress in your business.

Lori Vande Krol Life Made Simple, LLC www.alifemadesimple.com 515-360-8347

Ann Wright The Wright Coaching and Training Solutions www.annwrightsolutions.com  515-229-8029

What advice would you give to other women business owners about setting impactful goals for their businesses?

I recommend taking a few steps before diving into annual goalsetting, to ensure you are focusing on the right things to move yourself and your business towards your unique definition of success. 

First, be sure you are clear on your mission and vision – both personally and for your business. For example, your personal mission statement describes who you are at your core. It encompasses your values and priorities in life. Your personal vision statement describes what you want to become – your hopes and dreams. Together they form the basis, or the “why,” for everything you do. You can look at these statements similarly for your business. Mission and Vision Statements provide the needed direction, clarity, and focus for goalsetting, prioritizing, planning, and decision-making.

Then, considering your Mission and Vision Statements, brainstorm your long-term goals. In other words, what needs to happen for you to be successful and happy in business and life? Your long-term goals will help you to better define and focus on your annual goals. Here you can dream big without boundaries of time or resources.

Now it’s time to focus in on your annual goals. What can you do in the upcoming year that supports your mission and moves you towards your vision and longer-term goals?

-  Lori

What tools, resources, or habits have helped you stay on track with your business goals?

At the end or beginning of each year I sit down and work to plan what I want to work on in the upcoming year. This year I shared with my clients and network, Five Things YOU Can do to Thrive in 2025.

What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d received earlier in your professional journey?

I am not naturally a great marketer. I didn’t enjoy it and often looked at marketing of my products and services as a necessary evil when doing business. Reading Donald Miller’s book, Building a Storybrand, changed my perception and approach towards marketing. It isn’t about me but is about the potential client and how I can help them live more productive and joy-filled lives. If I am not talking about what I do, how will anyone know I can help? My products and services won’t be for everyone, and that’s ok. But I need to work to reach those that might be helped by my skills and passion. I won’t say that I love marketing now, but this mindset has made it much easier!

-  Lori

This is a tough one. Stay true to yourself and be who you are, not who the world thinks you should be. If you falter and fall back into old habits. It’s okay. You’re human, and we all have those days, especially under stress. Pick yourself up and tell yourself, “Today (or tomorrow) is a new day. I got this!” It’s about progress, not perfection.

-  Ann

What strategies or frameworks work well for setting realistic yet ambitious goals?

Most business owners have heard of SMART Goals. While I agree with the concept of setting specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based goals, it isn’t always easy to come up with a SMART Goal without working through some thoughtful questions. I have developed an annual goalsetting process which helps to work through these needed questions.

The 5W1H Annual Goalsetting Process™ (free template available here):
1.    What do you want to achieve? Be thoughtful, specific, and clear.
2.    Why does this goal matter to you? Why do you want to achieve it? How does it fit into your greater vision?
3.    When do you want to achieve your goal?
4.    Who will be involved? Do you have full control over the outcome of the goal? Do you have someone to provide support and accountability?
5.    Where might challenges arise? Are there risks involved or obstacles to overcome?
 
Based on your answers to these questions, write your annual goal.  Then, determine How you will achieve your goal throughout the year. Break it into smaller strategies and milestones so that you can be sure to plan your months, weeks, and days to achieve your goal. Doing this will allow you achieve goals you might not have thought possible.

I once had an attendee at my workshop ask, “What if a goal is unachievable?”  My response was that it may seem unachievable, but what if it’s not? What if you can achieve that which you don’t feel is possible?  Following a process for goalsetting, planning, implementation, and reflection will help support those big dreams and goals.

-  Lori

Make time to plan for the year by scheduling a meeting with yourself, just as you would with a client. Think of yourself as your own client. Once you’ve set aside time, visualize what you want 2025 to look like. Allow yourself to dream and reflect by asking important questions: What would I do if fear weren’t holding me back? If money weren’t an issue, what would I do?

Next, focus on managing your expectations. Review your top three goals for the year, and then create a plan with specific start and completion dates for each goal. Break your goals into actionable items and assign deadlines to ensure steady progress. Decide what you will say no to so you can say yes to making time for what matters most. Identify what you can control and, just as importantly, what you cannot control.

Lastly, find yourself an accountability partner. Be intentional in selecting someone who is kind, supportive, and willing to celebrate your wins. Choose a partner who will help you stay on track during challenging times—just as you will do for them.  “Celebrate endings — for they precede new beginnings.”  - Jonathan Huie

-  Ann

The start of a new year offers a great opportunity to pause, reflect, and set clear, actionable goals that can shape the direction of your business. What’s one bold goal you can set today that will make a big impact in 2025?  A special thank you to Lori Vande Krol and Ann Wright for sharing their valuable insights. If you’ve got questions about how to implement the items they’ve shared, feel free to reach out to them for additional support.