Why small business goals are important

Goal setting is extremely important for small businesses. Small businesses generally do not have the resources to waste floundering, thus goals will help create direction, and steps for achieving success. The following are some of the reasons small businesses should set goals:

Setting goals means noticing opportunities you may have overlooked before. Have you ever agonized over a purchase? Think about it this way, if you were car shopping, and decided on a model of car to purchase, say a Ford Explorer, chances are you would start noticing that car everywhere you go. The fact is, when you set a goal, it is like flipping a switch and helps you notice the things that you could do to better accomplish that goal. It is like seeing the Ford Explorer everywhere you go, you may not have noticed them before, even though they were there. You become more attuned to the goal, and notice things that you never realized existed previously.

Helps you rid yourself of conflicting desires. Sometimes we want things that conflict with each other. You want your small business to grow, but don't want to spend money on marketing. It can be difficult to fill both desires because they conflict. Setting goals helps you figure out which things you are going to be willing to let go of in order to get something you want even more. Sure you do not want to risk any capital on a marketing plan you aren't sure will work, but you will be stagnant if you do nothing. Goal setting helps you set a destination, and thus determine which desires will be fulfilled, and which will have to be disregarded to get there.

Goals help your business spend less time and resources getting to their destination. When you do not set clear goals, you have people working, and not always together. This means going in circles instead of moving forward. A clear set of goals for your company will help every employee know which direction the company is heading, and help everyone get there.

Instead of avoiding what you don't want, it helps you get employees working toward what you do want. Instead of the mindset of "I don't want to go out of business, so I will treat customers fine, and try to sell my product or service." Your company tune will be, "I want to grow, and to do that I will offer exemplary customer service, and the highest quality and value." Focusing on what you don't want means never achieving what you do. Spend time and energy, and the resources of your company working toward something, not avoiding bad things.

Goal setting helps a business keep focused, and all the staff working cohesively toward the same thing. Without goals, you may be moving, but that does not mean you are moving forward.