So you’re setting up your own business. What’s the next step? How do you want to grow? Business coach Claudie Plen takes you through the motions

It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of commitments and challenges, dealing with situations as they come up, and forget to check out which way you are heading. The result of being so caught up in the moment can be increased stress levels, confusion, and chaos. You can suffer a lack of motivation or purpose as you lose sight of the prize. Sometimes when you’re still working at 3am it’s just hard to remember what the prize was in the first place.

So what’s the alternative? Learning how to set compelling, well-defined goals can be the means to really taking your business to the next level. By knowing what you want, it's easier to define the tools and processes you need to get you there, leaving you free to concentrate on the business at hand with clarity, direction and renewed motivation.

When I work with clients on goal setting, one of the first things I do is help them to get really clear on their values around their business. Values, essentially, are what’s important to you. They are what you believe in, what you need and ultimately how you see yourself and your business in relation to the world. Your true values will reflect who you really are, not who you feel you ‘should’ be, whether that includes integrity, honesty, communication or the ability to make enough money to clear out Agnés B on a regular basis. By understanding this reality you will be able to build a business that naturally reflects your personality and gives you what you really want.

Set aside half an hour and ask yourself the question 'What’s important to me about my business?'. Write down everything that occurs to you. When you cannot think of anything else, go back and decide which are the most important, and what you can do without. Ideally you will end up with a list of between seven and ten values, those things you just cannot live without. Now you can start to set some goals, which really honour these values.

Goal setting can be a bit tricky but there are a few practical ways to make it easier. One of the most effective ways to do this is to use the SMART process.

1. Every time you set a goal, make sure it is:
Specific – e.g. not 'I want to be more successful' but 'I want to increase profits in these specific areas by this date
Measurable – specific amounts, numbers, how will you know when you have achieved this?
Achievable – in the time available, do you have or could you access the resources necessary
Realistic – considering your current situation, commitments etc, what would you need to change to make this goal realistic?
Timed – date specific, not 'In 3 months' but 'By 3 October 2006'

2. Next, write out your goal in full, in the present tense, as if it has already happened e.g. 'It is 3 October 2006 and I have increased my profits by...'

3. Set up a 'Goal beyond the goal'. "if I achieve this, it will lead to...'. Make sure the goal and especially the goal beyond the goal are really compelling and exciting. If not, ask yourself, 'Do I really want this?’ and alter the goal to make sure you really do!

4. Check for 'Anti-goals' or reasons why you would not want to achieve your goal (e.g. a person wanting to lose weight might be frightened that they won't have fun any more, you might be worried that a more successful business might impact on family life, or create stress). These reservations can be powerful obstacles to getting what you want. If there are specific issues which create anxiety, go back to the original goal and alter it so it encompasses a solution to these problems, e.g. 'I have increased my profits by ... allowing me to employ extra staff to cover the workload'.

5. Create a series of intermediary goals. If your major goal is for one year hence, work backwards defining stages for six months, three months, one month and so on.

6. Decide what you can do today to move one step closer to getting what you want.

Finally, take action!

Claudie Plen is a Creative Life and Business Coach based in London. To find out what coaching could help you achieve with your business go to www.claudieplen.com

Copyright Claudie Plen 2006