by Kristin Kiley of byKristinK
This is a part of a series of posts written by entrepreneurs of the Spring 2021 Business Accelerator cohort for EforAll Cape Cod.
What are your goals for the week? What about for your business and family life? You can actually set goals by using the SMART method.
I am currently in EforAll and I am trying to launch a business while others have been in business for years but are needing to pivot because of Covid. The best way to do this is first to set a specific goal and try to have a focused, concise and clear one. This is the “S” in SMART.
My main goals for EforAll are to publish my first book this year, create a Kickstarter and launch a website, as well as stay on top of my social media accounts. All of these goals can be accomplished by breaking them down into smaller, more attainable pieces. For example, in order to achieve publishing a book this year I need to follow a specific structure to make sure I accomplish this. I will first write the children’s book, (based on Cape Cod), by May 1st. Then I will find an editor, get an ISBN and set dates for each set of the steps in order to publish my book in one year. These are measurable dates and times that I will need to adhere to in order to stay on track. This is the “M” in SMART.
The next part of the SMART Goals is Achievable. As the speaker, David Weisman said it should be a goal that causes anxiety but does not paralyze you. I do have the resources to achieve this goal. Other authors have published a book in less time. My stretch would be to start on the second book before the year is over.
The goal is very realistic and I am also taking a class to help me figure out the language I need to use for the specific age group I am focusing on. I believe this goal is realistic because it definitely is reachable given the time and resources.
And lastly, the goal is timely because it has a deadline of being accomplished this year and having smaller goals set within the year to make sure I achieve this short timeline.
I learned how to set my main essential goals and also daily goals from this class. The class also helped me realize my reasons for wanting to write this children’s book in the first place. I think the thought of seeing excited and engaged children really helps to focus on reaching my goal. David also brought up good points about whether or not the goals we are setting are the right ones to be setting and if not to cross those off the list. Then David went over What do I know? How do I know it? What do I need to know? How will I learn it? I have an assumption and I test it and then gain anecdotal data. I want to work on facts and execute against goals. He told us to set up columns and in the first one to write what questions do I need an answer this week. Then your action is column two and then who is responsible if you have employees and then timing for your last column. You can also add a column that is deferred so that you don’t worry about that this week. One entrepreneur had a great way of saying that I have all these things on my to do list but I’m going to “Eat the Frog” first meaning accomplish the most challenging one or one that you want to put off first and then everything else is easier on my to do list.
I also learned that you should change the way you talk about problems. For example, instead of saying, “I’m not good at this”, you could rephrase and say, “I’m learning something new”. Another was if you do not have problems you are not improving and you learn from your failures or mistakes. Another piece of advice was not to use “but do this” when speaking to another mentee and instead say, “And here’s another idea”. It definitely puts another spin on how to approach giving feedback. I also liked how one of the mentees said I AM motivated and Inspired and they create lists which gives them power. For the lists they say I AM good at and then list them.
This class really helped focus on my top three priorities and what I need to accomplish in order to move my business forward and achieve my goal this year. I feel empowered and have a clearer understanding of my reasoning in starting this business in the first place. It also helped me to take a step back and realize the importance of self-care and how to keep moving forward and progressing in this program.
