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SMART Goals

It's been said before BUT, it's never too late!

Be smart, design SMART goals to achieve the results you want!

WHO doesn’t want that!

and KEEP READING to find out how you can turn your SMART goals into SMARTER Goals!

The SMART goal method is designed to support you with setting and achieving your goals. Think of it as the guide, with instructions, the steps of what, why, and how to meet your objectives.

What do we mean by SMART?

SMART stands for

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timeframes

Specific: is exactly that.

When setting a goal/s you need to specify what it is you want to accomplish.

The state of our ‘Business health’ is as important as our own.

A smart Business operator will undertake regular checks of both!

In the following, we examine the Business!

The health of your Business is reliant upon and impacted by the ‘state’ of key parts, you could say these are the vital organs of a small Business!

You can see why undertaking a regular Health Check is critical to the ongoing life, success of your or any small Business.

In the following we examine these vital parts:

Business Reflection

Business Planning

Goal Setting

Systems and Processes

Staff Performance

Smart Businesses recognise the importance of taking the time for Business reflection as an opportunity to do just that, reflect, review and revise. Examination allows for any changes or improvements that are needed. Simply put, there are risks if you don’t take the time to reflect and plan!

Business reflection is important, offering a number of benefits.

Benefits, such as providing the opportunity to step back, take ‘stock’, to see if you, we, are on track or not. This can be said of both the Business and the individual. We can all learn from our mistakes, and failures. Lessons learned that can be built on.
It is also a way of keeping yourself, ourselves accountable. Who doesn’t want to improve their Business and own performance. It’s the chance to grow and improve and be open to new opportunities that otherwise may pass by.

If you a small Business operator you will understand how easy it is to be taken-over and engulfed by the everyday business of running a Business. Life gets ‘frantic hectic’ and you can lose sight of the bigger picture.

Is that you?

Try these, 5 ‘Easy’ Steps to take to effectively reflect on your Business

Revisit your Goals.

Revisitng your Goals is the opportunity to ‘take-stock’, critique, and determine where you are in achieving your goals. Are you on track! Have milestones been reached? Analyse, measure performance, acknowledge celebrate gains, and wins and learn from losses.

Business Planning

Reflection and planning provides benefits, such as, allowing you to prepare for the now and future. Continual planning gives you the focus to get the job done. Importantly it fosters critical thinking and a disciplined approach to conducting yourself and the Business.

It also allows you to examine your strengths and weaknesses and use those experiences to consider other opportunities while recognising the risks. Without reflection and planning you can find yourself, your Business going down the wrong path.

Goal Setting

Christmas Shopping

November is a time when the smart shopper starts looking at purchasing that special present for family and friends.

BUT, before you rush into a ‘spending frenzy’ take the time to read our following guide,

‘6 Ways to Shopping and Spending Wisely’.

Yes, think before you buy! Thoughtful buying and spending habits can leave you and your loved ones happy and thankful, without the stress of ‘over-debt burden’!

Often the trap of over-spending is getting caught up in the expectations that we place on ourselves, to buy bigger and better, thinking that’s what others expect from us. We want to impress and jump in with all cash registers cha-chinging!

But we pay the price later. If you are living on a ‘budget’ it’s a fact that over committing financially usually brings only stress and pain when the ‘bills’ come in. Why give yourself a ‘debt hangover’, when there are some ways to help avoid it.

6 TopTips, Ways to Shopping and Spending Wisely:

1.Sit down now and review your finances.

Draw up a Budget to establish what can you realistically allocate for Christmas shopping. Vital to stick to it! With rising costs and inflation makes sense to do more with your cents!

2. Don’t spend what you don’t have

or more than you have budgeted for.

3. Paying with cash!

It may be old-fashioned, but its an ‘oldie’ but a goodie - 'if you can't afford it, cash, don’t buy it', particularly when looking at 'descretionary' purchasing, ‘wants’ rather than ‘needs’ items.

4. Be wary of going crazy with credit!

A good question, a GREAT question!

The answer?

If you are a Business proprietor READ ON, answers lie in the following 5 KEY areas:

1. What makes an amazing Workplace

2. Staff retention

3. Attracting new talent

4. Staffing issues

5. Hiring for the holidays

1. What Makes an Amazing Workplace

How do you fare to the ‘MOST WANTED’ list below?!

Honest leadership
Flexible growth for employees
Meaningful work
A clear Vision and Identity. Culture – what the Business is all about and their place, the Employee, and how they can contribute.
A collaborative environment
Open communication
Work-life balance
Relationships: Wellness and Wellbeing, Respect and Recognition, Training and Support

As you can see many of the items listed are basic to HR and developing strong bonds, the building blocks for creating that ‘Business Everyone, Everybody wants to work for’.

How many ticks did you get?

If you have ‘gaps’, don’t wait, take the steps now to offer all the above to attract staff. Create, your, ‘the Business everyone wants to work for’!.

Business Strategy

2. Staff Retention

Retaining staff, a challenge in a time of a tight market, with staffing shortages, resignations and competitive workplaces. A challenge faced by many operators, particularly small Businesses.

Staff retention is now key to running a successful Business!

Are you affected?

Yes, then don’t wait, start developing your Employee Retention Strategies to boost Job satisfaction and help turn the tide! Take action now!

Here are 5 Strategies

Strategy 1: It starts with Orientation, ‘Welcome aboard’!

When you welcome a new employee be sure to include an ‘onboarding’ meeting. It’s not just about the job/ role requirements, its vital the Company Mission and culture is discussed, and how they can contribute to it and grow. This conversation sets the scene and tone for building healthy, happy, working relationships.

Strategy 2: Pay and Conditions