How to Get Back on Track When You Didn’t Meet Your Business Goals.
So.
You set a business goal and you didn’t make it.
You had a vision, you made a plan (or maybe you didn’t), you set a deadline (or not), and that deadline came and went. But you didn’t hit your target.
Been there, done that! It happens to everyone.
There are only two directions to go when you’ve dropped the ball on a goal:
- You can beat yourself up about it.
- You can keep moving forward.
So how do you get up and dust yourself off after a failure? How do you figure out where to go next when your big goals didn’t pan out?
Here’s how to move forward when you didn’t meet your goal:
Lighten up!
There’s a fine line between assessing where things didn’t go the way we planned and running ourselves over the coals for missing the mark.
Sometimes things don’t work out. Maybe you dropped the ball, maybe you didn’t have the resources necessary to deliver the results you were seeking. or maybe it was something else.
It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, a failure, or a loser. It just means you now have the opportunity to look at it differently. You’re human. So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move forward.
Onward and upward.
Feel good about what you DID accomplish.
This is an important step, because it’s very unlikely that you accomplished nothing. Did you get halfway to your goal? Did you get sidetracked and accomplish something else instead? Did you learn something new?
Acknowledge the small successes. Celebrate them. Then take that knowledge and use it to move forward.
Figure out what went wrong.
This is where we do a post-mortem investigation on your goal so you can figure out what you need to do differently in the future.
This could be a lot of things. Was the goal too big? Did something else come up? Did you lose interest? Did you need additional resources or a better plan? Write these things down.
With the hindsight you have now, what should you have done differently? Have things changed? What can you do now to get to where you want to go? Is this something you are really committed to?
There are only two directions to go when you’ve dropped the ball on a goal: You can beat yourself up about it, or you can keep moving forward. Click To Tweet
Set a new goal.
You’re older and wiser now. You’ve done a full analysis on your past goals and why they didn’t work out.
Using this information, it’s time to set a new goal, but do it a little differently this time.
If your last goal was too big, set a better informed one. If you gave yourself too much time to dawdle, set a tighter deadline this time.
Did you get sidetracked and decide to do something else? Make sure your new goal is more in alignment. Did you need education or support you didn’t have before? Make sure acquiring that help or knowledge is part of your new goal.
Prepare for roadblocks.
A big part of not reaching goals is failing to plan for or acknowledge potential roadblocks. You’ve already considered the following issues: What threw you off last time? Did you get distracted at home? Did you say “yes” to too many other things like favors or social commitments? Did you lack accountability?
Now make a plan for every single snag and roadblock you can think of, because those things will pop up again and again.
If you need accountability, find a coach, group, or a mean friend to give you a kick in the pants if you don’t get your work done.
If you get distracted at home, find a nearby café or coworking space where you can focus.
If you got hung up on tasks outside your skillset (writing and tech problems are common issues), hire someone to help you.
Now that you know better, do better. I’ve gone through this process many, many times, and you will too as an entrepreneur and a human being. Onward!
Need help?
If you realized during this process that you need help, I’m here. Should you need knowledge beyond your expertise, help organizing, accountability, or just another brain in your business, we’ve got you!
Let’s talk about how we can make your goals happen.
