SMART Goals for Entrepreneurs | Why They Don’t Work (And What to Do Instead!)

Setting goals you can get excited and feel confident about is a very important part of being an entrepreneur. After all, you can’t hit a target you can’t see… and if you don’t have an end point in mind, it’s impossible to know if you’re on the right track. 

That being said… contrary to popular belief, setting SMART goals for your business often isn’t enough to motivate you, and keep you going in the face of the distractions, fears, and obstacles that will inevitably try to stand in your way.

The entrepreneurial journey is a bumpy one, friend. And you need all the tools you can carry to get you safely from Point A to Point Where You Want to Be.

So Why do SMART Goals not work? 

Smart goals are an excellent tool to use in your business, but if you START there, you are almost certain to fail. 

You see, this is where most entrepreneurs go wrong: They set a specific, measurable goal they can take action on, with a realistic time frame in which to achieve it. It sounds great, at first…

And for the first few days after setting a SMART goal you will probably do just fine. 

But after that initial excitement wears off… things start to happen: you come up against roadblocks and obstacles you weren’t expecting: 

Rejection. Lack of support from your friends and family. Comparing yourself to others on social media in a negative way. A busy schedule that leaves you feeling exhausted at the end of the day… in no state of mind to sit down and focus on your business. 

And by themselves, your SMART goals simply aren’t strong enough to keep you on track in the face of all these things that will try to keep you from moving forward. 

So what’s the solution? We're going to break it down for you in 3, easy to follow steps:

The SMARTER Solution | Step 1: Create a Personal Vision

When you place vision before goals, you will become unstoppable. Filled with a limitless amount of creativity, energy, enthusiasm, courage and persistence.

Let us explain: 

Having a vision for your life and business means having a crystal clear picture of where you’re going, combined with the unshakeable belief that you will get there. 

If you’ve ever set a stretch goal while trying to ignore that little voice in your head that says, “Yeah, that’s never going to happen for you”, then you KNOW how important that last piece – that unshakeable belief – really is. 

So how do you get vision? 

First, we need you to Practice Limitless Thinking 

We need you to suspend your disbelief for 30 minutes while you work on this exercise. For 30 minutes, agree to let go of any fears, any self doubts, any what ifs. Let go of needing to know HOW you’re going to where you want to go… and focus solely on the destination. 

Grab a fresh journal or some blank sheets of paper, and take 30 minutes to sit quietly by yourself. You’re going to create your perfect day. 

Fast forward to a day 3-5 years from now, and imagine your day in perfect, colorful detail. This isn’t a special day. It’s an ordinary day, in the middle of your extraordinary life. 

The more detail you can use when creating this day, the more powerful it will be for you. When your eyes open in the morning, what do you see? When you step out of bed, what’s the first thing you do? Take some time to write out a complete timeline of your day from the minute your eyes open, until the moment they close that night. 

What do you do. 

Who do you see? 

Who do you help? 

Who do you talk with?

What are you excited about? 

This is your PERSONAL vision. So yes, your business can be a part of this… but this is so much bigger than how many commas are in your bank account, or the size of your social media platforms. 

When writing out your day, write in first person and use sentences that engage all 5 of your senses. For some people, their perfect day fills a page and a half… for others, it’s 5 or 6 pages or even more. There is no wrong or right here, other than to say: You are NOT allowed to hold back. You’re not allowed to ask yourself HOW you’re going to arrive at this day. 

For 30 minutes, we’re asking you to simply believe that you will. 

Your personal vision is the emotional thread that connects your daily activities to your ultimate destination. 

We're sure we can all agree… we don’t really like the hassle of flying. Even with TSA pre-check… it’s a pain, right? 

We can’t think of anyone that would wake up in the morning, excited to go to the airport, pay for parking, check their luggage, and go through security just for the fun of it, sit next to a smelly stranger on a 5 hour flight… only to walk off the plane, collect their luggage and get right back in line without ever leaving the airport to do it all over again and fly home. That would be crazy. 

And yet, when we don’t have a clear destination. A clear PERSONAL VISION. The daily activities that are required for us to reach our business goals feel a lot like standing in the security line at the airport. 

It’s the vision of the beach… of the hugs from family… of the sidewalk cafes in Paris… that make the hassle worth it. 

Your business is the plane. Your personal vision, is the beach. 

Okay, now that you have your personal vision, and you understand WHY you need to have a clear picture of your destination and know WHERE you’re going before you decide how you’ll get there.