A Case Study in Goal Setting, Inspired by Muddy’s Bake Shop

Written By: Shannon Briggs

When my business started to scale several years ago, I realized it was time to stop going with the flow and establish some measurable  benchmarks. With some trial and error, I found a system that works for me, and now Campfire Collective, so much so that I am sharing it in the hope  that others  can find inspiration for setting  a framework for their business, life, or personal goals.

Setting year-long goals works best for me, as it’s a long enough time span to see true results, yet not so far off that the end seems unattainable. I use the first week of the year to set the framework for the upcoming year. Choosing this week gives me time to reset from the hectic holiday season, reflect on last year’s goals, and think strategically about how I can build on those. That first week tends to be slow for our business, as most of our clients are also just getting back into the swing of things themselves.

After I spend time reflecting on the previous year, my first step is to create my vision for the current  year. If you have never taken Kat Gordon’s visioning workshop, I highly recommend it. I attended this workshop in 2018, and its teachings are now the foundation of how I do all of my goal setting. With this visioning process, I imagine  we’ve reached the last week of the new year. For 15 minutes, I free flow write what I want my business to look like then. I set myself in the present and write about where Campfire Collective is now, and how we got to be where we are. This is the time to dream big and not think realistically, so I write about the biggest milestones I could possibly achieve that year. This is the most fun piece, as you picture your best-case scenarios  and envision your dreamiest life. This vision goes through several rounds of edits for content, organization, grammar, and punctuation. I also make sure my final vision is attainable and realistic, even though some components may be a long stretch.

After the vision is complete, I read through it and determine the key points. I pull out the major milestones, and from there I list my major goals for the year (usually three to four). My business goals most often revolve around client profiles, revenue, business PR, and team dynamics. Everyone’s goals will be different. Goals should be a direct reflection of the major points in your vision, as achieving goals will make your vision come to life.

After the goals are established, it’s time to determine action steps. First, I break my goals down into monthly tasks and milestones. I create a monthly calendar for the year and think through realistic milestones, based on typically busy business  periods, life interruptions, and other time-consuming factors. I make notes of when, historically, our project work picks up and when we may have time to pursue new projects.

For each quarter, I set a realistic milestone that will keep us on track in achieving our goal by the end of the year. Then, within each month, I create a to-do list of tasks that will help me achieve that quarterly milestone.

Next , I put the tasks into our project management system, and from there the year is set!

Setting year-long goals for your business seems like a daunting task at first, but when you break it down into smaller steps, suddenly it becomes less overwhelming. Then, the excited energy kicks in, and I am ready to hit the ground running! I have found when I use this system, I not only achieve all my yearly goals, but end up exceeding them. My favorite part of this whole process is looking back at the end of the year at the vision I wrote back in January, then comparing that vision to where I am now. While plans may change throughout the year, the end result is usually better than the original plan one way or another. 

Cheers to achieving our and YOUR dreamiest vision this year and beyond!