09 Jan Setting your New Year goals

I recently read an article published by the Australian government ( www.business.gov.au ) on setting goals in your business for the New Year. Within the article they placed emphasis not only on setting goals, but on setting what they referred to as SMART goals. I have found this anagram very helpful and hope it will do the same for you.

When planning your goals and objectives for the year, be sure that your goals are,

S    – Specific

M  – Measurable

A   – Achievable

R    – Relevant

T    – Timely

I think a popular goal for any business owner will always be to grow your business. This of course is not restricted to the salon/spa owner, perhaps you are reading this as an employee and thinking ‘well that doesn’t apply to me’, but I have always maintained that a beauty therapist is a ‘business within a business’. Your column is your business, and the busier you are the more successful your column will be.

Keeping this goal in mind, let’s look out how we can make it SMART

Specific

Perhaps you currently have 120 regular clients you service. You would like grow your client base by 10% by the end of year, therefore you will need to gain (and retain) one new client every month for the next 12 months. Your specific goal is one new client each month.

Measurable

How will you measure your achievement? Perhaps you will create a new client file, separate from your existing client, where you can easily identify the new clients. This will also help you to assess if they are returning to the salon, which would be key in measuring your goal for new clientele.

Achievable

Examine your work schedule and availability to ensure a 10% increase in clientele can be accommodated for. Remember, although you are only looking to gain 1 extra client per month, you will need to have capacity in your diary to assist 12 additional clients by the end of the year.

Relevant

Ask yourself why you want to achieve this goal, will it assist you in being able to employ staff? Will it allow you to increase your personal earnings? The goal must be relevant to the desired outcome.

Timely

Decide how much time you will need to achieve the goal and make sure it is realistic.

For a more detailed article, click here