Have you heard of this secret technique… it may well guarantee success beyond what you’ve been able to accomplish thus far?

If you were ask successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs what they did to succeed or fail, most of them would cite some mentor or lack of trait… Perhaps they’d blame genetics or outside influence.

But if you were to ask the exact same group if they used this secret, 99% of successful entrepreneurs would say yes – and almost all of the unsuccessful entrepreneurs would ask what you were talking about.

The secret to being a successful entrepreneur is very, very simple. It is called “Quantifiable Goals”. It might sound a wee bit complicated, but bear with me here and I’ll explain what it is – and why it’s so important.

Let’s say, for example, that you walk into a room full of entrepreneurs, and ask them to tell you their goals and why they are ultimately in business for themselves. Most of them will respond something along the lines of time or money.

But watch them puzzle when you ask them WHY they want to earn money or have that extra time. This is the most essential part of Quantifiable Goals. Anyone can say she wants to make money, but why? Is there something in particular she wants to buy? Something she wants to do with that time?

Once you establish WHY you want that extra time or money, you have just taken a big step towards success. You now have a goal. So, for example, you want that extra money to buy a house. Buying a house is your goal. Now comes the Quantifiable part.

How much are you going to spend on this house? $250,000? $1 million? You need to come up with a dollar amount or time amount, something measurable, of quantity, to properly set your goals. That way, once you earn that $250,000 or gain those 3 hours, you have essentially attained your goal.

But waking up one morning and deciding to earn $250,000 doesn’t make it happen. So how do you achieve your long-term Quantifiable Goal? By breaking it up into smaller, medium term quantifiable goals.

In my example of buying a house for, say, $250,000, your medium-term goals would most likely be monetary. You could set goals to complete two projects that would each bring you $125,000, or even 10 projects that would bring you $25,000, or break it down even further depending upon your circumstance.

But what good are these goals anyway? They are still difficult to achieve, and how do you know what to do to achieve these goals?

You break each of your medium-term quantifiable goals into short term goals. For example, if you chose to get two projects with a price tag of $125,000 each, your first goal might be to think of what kinds of projects you can do that would bring that kind of money in for you. Your next goal would be to close the sale on such a project, and then to complete the project, and finally to collect payment.

That way, each medium-term goal is broken down into manageable tasks.
At this point, it would be helpful to break everything down into a flow chart to help establish your goals. Put your main goal at the top on its own piece of paper. Then, put each of your medium-term goals in a horizontal line directly beneath your life goal. Then directly below each medium goal, fill a column with the short term goals that it will take to achieve each medium term goal.

This method will help you visualize what you are working towards, and how each step is necessary to achieve your dream.

You’ll want to check off each short term goal as you complete it, completing one sheet at a time. By doing this, you will be able to visually SEE your results progress quickly. Each time you complete a short-term goal, you are one step closer to completing a medium-term goal, which brings you one step closer to completing your over-riding goal.

Now that you know the secret, what are you going to do about it? I suggest following the techniques I’ve described, and build yourself a “goal vision chart” on a wall that is visible while you are working. Glance at it every so often, and it will keep you on track.

Reward yourself when you complete your goals – from the smallest achievement to completing the whole chart. It will most likely be the most positive experience in your life to see that pyramid completed – and the construction process of the chart itself will set you on the right path.

By Moira Hutchison