Post by Bill on May 30, 2008 15:02:35 GMT -5
Goals & Motivation ~It Starts With You~
« Thread Started on May 22, 2008, 7:59am »
Sometimes in my daily duties I encounter other business owners who are missing motivation. I think the first part of motivating yourself for business is setting clear and attainable goals. When I started my business my goal was $58 dollars a day. Divided by roughly 28 days in a month or $1625 monthly. This was my number, the number it took to pay all my bills, food, taxes, set a little for retirement and have enough money to go out a couple days a month. It was a grueling time during the start up of my business. I would go door to door with handouts offering every type of cleaning service available.
I would have all my window washing equipment with me, and offer to do the possible customers window cleaning right there. On average I would make anywhere between $30-$40 daily doing windows. I landed my first restaurant cleaning job on the fifth day, 7 nights a week. It was from 11-3 am everyday. When the owner asked me how much was it to clean everynight, maybe you already guessed. The cleaning fee was $58 per night.
My schedule was , 8am- 5pm beating the streets doing window washing and odd cleaning jobs, go home have dinner and a nap then go to the restaurant to clean. About two weeks into my cleaning venture I received a second account busy office center. $58 dollars a night. The job could be done after 5pm, but must be cleaned before 9am, so this was added into my cleaning route and it was done before the restaurant. So my schedule changed worked from 9pm-3am cleaning. 10am-4pm doing day cleaning.
Did this for a year till I hired some help, in the meantime I built my window washing and day cleaning accounts upto about $100 per daytime shift.
So a long post for a short equation. If your starting business setting your first goal is very important. The first goal is the cost of living equation.
First Year
Monthly expenses/working days= First goal
First goal x 5 = monthly advertising and marketing fee <---- to keep your business going.
Now a key to making this goal work is not to increase your monthly expenses, even if your business starts to do good, don`t go out and buy that new car right away. If so you have to increase your goal.
2nd year-5th year
Follow year 1 guidelines, update it every 30 days as you are making changes and improvements to your business. make sure to set aside emergency money and odd reason money though.
5th year-9th year
Reevaluate your goals monthly, the monthly expenses are now changing daily. Are you still setting aside your tax money, marketing, retirement, and emergency money. If not return to the original equation and figure out how you messed up. Either you are not working as much as you are supposed to be, or you allowed your monthly expenses to go haywire.
Conclusion: The easiest way to stay motivated and inspired is to set small attainable goals each day. Along with solid attainable monthly goals. Without goals there is no direction or tracking of the success or failure of your company.
PS: 10th year and beyond- your doing great, you got it figured out, now your just wondering how to get out... lol
Now if you read this far. Don`t forget that everyones goal is different. Some goals may be $58 dollars a day, others may have a goal of $1000 or more a day.
But.... both parties will be happy if they are making their goal
