Setting Achievable Goals in Small Business

The fundamental building blocks for small business development are always found in its primary goals. If a business builds upon reasonable, achievable, and strategic goals, success usually follows in the form of revenue and the opportunity for future growth and increased security. If goals are unreasonable, unrealistic, or frivolous (or worse yet nonexistent), business inevitably crumbles in their wake.

And while it's easy to say this, it's also surprisingly easy to get sidetracked chasing goals that don't help your business. Those who run small businesses are most often doing so for the first time. And as happens when stabbing in the dark, sometimes you put the cart before the horse, and the horse ends up stabbing you. Well, anyway...

It's foolhardy to claim that a simple list could be created that would apply to all industries; however, we have assembled some topics to consider as you set your own goals for 2013.

Service/Product Offerings Do you have something else to offer your clients and customers? If so, you open up a new revenue stream and (as long as you manage costs on the front end) set up your company to experience positive growth.

Improve Internet Presence Shore it up at all ends. If your website is outdated, it not only hurts marketing, but also it could be more vulnerable to attack. If your social media presence is lacking, join Facebook and Twitter and actually use them. Post to your blog-reach out to your customers and clients in as many ways as possible. Check your search engine positioning. If you're unhappy with it, employ an SEO strategy to get where you want to be.

Community Relations Your business may or may not feature a physical storefront. Either way, you can impact your community in a positive manner and get some basic word-of-mouth loyalty in the process. Lexington has an abundance of opportunities for participation through sponsorship of charities and various events held over the course of the year. No matter what you do, you rely on people to bring in revenue for you. It helps to be known, particularly when the associations are positive. That's good for everyone, and that's the kind of prosperous community we envision.