Small business owners often find themselves juggling multiple roles, from CEO to marketer to accountant. Sometimes, this can be overwhelming and it gets so easy to lose sight of your goals. This is where coaching comes in as a valuable resource for small business owners. In a nutshell, it helps you get clarity on your goals, stay accountable and celebrate once those goals are achieved.

If you want to get more details on what that actually means, stick around and keep reading.

Benefits of Coaching for Small Business Owners

Clarity and Focus

If you decided to own a business, you probably really love what you do. That, in turn, makes it so easy to come up with dozens of ideas on how to improve your business daily. As exciting as that is, all those ideas in addition to many tasks at hand sometimes make it hard to focus on the right activities.

Coaching provides a structured space for owners to clarify their goals and priorities. A coach helps you define your vision, break it down into actionable steps, and set clear, achievable objectives.

With this clarity and focus, you can make more informed decisions and steer your business in the right direction.

You still get to keep all those ideas and take them into consideration, but what you learn to do is set time aside for them instead of applying the ad hoc approach you’re used to.

Accountability and Motivation

One of the biggest challenges for small business owners is staying accountable to their goals. All those competing tasks, ideas and fires that need to be put out make it easy to procrastinate and lose focus from what matters.

A coach serves as an accountability partner who keeps you on track and motivated. They will regularly check in on your progress, celebrate your successes, and help you overcome obstacles.

This external motivation can be a game-changer for small business owners striving to achieve their goals because, all of a sudden, you’re not alone on that path to success.

Skill Development

All those hats that you’re wearing as a small business owner require that you have at least some knowledge of the area in question so that you can do the job well (at least until you grow, hire someone and can delegate).

Coaching can help you identify areas where you need to develop your skills and knowledge to be able to grow your business.

Whether it’s marketing, finance, leadership, or any other aspect of your business, a coach can provide guidance and help you find the areas with the greatest impact on growth. Once you know that, you can find ways to learn and the coach with be there to support and motivate you.

How Coaching Helps Small Business Owners Achieve Their Goals?

Goal Setting and Planning

Coaches work with small business owners to set specific and measurable goals that will motivate you to work towards them on your way to success. In addition to that, coaches help you break down these goals into manageable tasks and create a roadmap for achieving them.

This structured approach ensures that you have a clear path toward your objectives.

Problem Solving

As you grow your business, there will be lots of challenges which require innovative approaches and thinking outside the box. A coach serves as a valuable sounding board, offering an impartial and outside perspective on the issues at hand.

Coaches can help you dissect problems, identify root causes, and brainstorm creative solutions. With a coach’s guidance, you can develop a more strategic and effective approach to solving the day-to-day challenges your business faces.

Strategic Decision Making

In addition to problem-solving, small business owners often need to make critical decisions that impact the long-term direction of their companies. A coach can assist you in making these decisions by aligning them with your overarching vision and goals.

Coaches can provide insights, weigh pros and cons, and help you make informed choices that are in harmony with your business’s future trajectory. Having a coach’s support ensures that your decisions are not just reactive but are part of a well-thought-out strategy.

Confidence Building

Through the coaching process, individuals receive validation and recognition for their strengths, talents, and accomplishments, which in turn boosts self-esteem.

Moreover, coaches provide a nurturing and non-judgmental environment where business owners can openly express their fears and uncertainties. By addressing these concerns together, coaches guide their clients toward building a more robust self-image and a belief in their abilities.

As entrepreneurs witness their progress and achievements under the supportive guidance of a coach, they gradually transform doubt into confidence.

In essence, coaching not only validates strengths but also equips business owners with the tools to improve their self-talk and self-perception, fostering enduring confidence that extends far beyond the coaching relationship.

Personal Growth and Resilience

Last but not least, working with a coach contributes to your personal growth in addition to the professional one. As you work on your business, you inevitably develop skills that help you in personal life as well. Giving and receiving feedback, stating your needs and wants clearly, defining expectations and setting boundaries are just a few of the skills you improve on your coaching journey.

A coach can help you develop the mindset and emotional intelligence needed to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. They can also provide strategies for managing stress and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Ready to Grow?

Once you start working with the right coach, you’ll start seeing changes sooner than you imagined. Not only will you be able to grow your business and enjoy owning it even more, but also you’ll grow as a person.

If you think that coach could be me, click here to schedule a call and we can get started as soon as possible.

You have done amazing things on your own. Imagine how much more you can achieve if you work with a coach!

The post How Coaching Helps Small Business Owners Achieve Their Goals appeared first on Snowation.

I know. Many of you will say that it doesn’t work, that it’s just popular psychology mumbo-jumbo, that there is no success without work. And let me tell you: you’re right. You won’t get anywhere just by creating a vision board. That’s not how it works. Creating a vision board is just the first step on your journey to success. However, it is a valuable step because it helps you gain clarity and present your goals visually. It is a great reminder of why you do what you do.

In this article, we’ll dive into the concept of a vision board, its purpose, benefits, and how to create one to help you make your dreams come true.

What is a Vision Board?

A vision board, also known as a dream board or goal board, is a tangible representation of your goals, dreams, and desires. It’s a collage of images, quotes, and affirmations that resonate with your aspirations and create a visual reminder of the life you want to live. The idea behind a vision board is to harness the power of visualization, where you use imagery to stimulate your mind and emotions, thereby influencing your actions and decisions.

Remember, if you can see it, you can do it.

The Purpose of a Vision Board

The main purpose of a vision board is to serve as a powerful tool for visualization and goal-setting. By regularly exposing yourself to images and words that represent your goals, you’re sending a clear message to your subconscious mind about your intentions. This process helps shift your mindset and behaviors in ways that align with your values and the goals you want to achieve.

A vision board acts as a constant source of inspiration, reminding you of what you’re working towards, even when challenges arise.

Benefits of a Vision Board

Clarity and Focus

Creating a vision board helps you clarify your goals and aspirations. By selecting and arranging images that depict your desires, you bring clarity to what you truly want to achieve in different areas of your life, such as career, relationships, health, and personal growth.

Additionally, a vision board serves as a reminder of your goals and helps you set specific intentions for your future. By regularly viewing your vision board, you keep your goals in focus and are more likely to take actions aligned with those goals.

Increased Motivation

Visualizing your goals in a positive and exciting way can boost your motivation. A vision board keeps your spirits high, even when faced with setbacks.

What is more, looking at your vision board regularly can inspire and motivate you to take consistent steps toward your goals. The visual reminders can boost your determination and remind you why you’re working towards those aspirations.

Enhanced Confidence and Positivity

A vision board fosters a positive mindset by focusing on what you want to achieve rather than dwelling on what you lack or fear. It shifts your focus from potential obstacles to potential opportunities.

As you witness your goals becoming a reality over time, your self-confidence and belief in your capabilities grow.

Accountability

Sharing your vision board with others or placing it in a visible location can create a sense of accountability. It encourages you to stay committed to your goals and track your progress.

A study done in the US showed that people are 65% more likely to reach their goals if they’ve committed to someone that they will do it and 95% more likely to accomplish their goals if they have a specific accountability appointment with the person they’ve committed to. Not sure about you, but I think those are pretty high numbers to just pass the opportunity.

Your accountability buddy can be your partner, friend or even an accountability coach. Regardless of who you choose, make sure it’s someone you won’t be able to ignore.

Law of Attraction

Some people believe in the “law of attraction,” which suggests that focusing on positive thoughts and intentions can attract positive outcomes. A vision board is a tangible representation of your positive intentions and can help you align your thoughts and actions with your desired outcomes.

Here’s another way to explain that.

The brain believes anything you say. So, if you keep reminding yourself of all your failures and mistakes, the message you send to your brain is how limited you are. On the other hand, if your thoughts are geared towards learning from mistakes and trying in different ways, your brain will see that as a challenge to find solutions to potential problems and obstacles.

Whichever perspective you choose, you’ll be right. But only one of the two will help you move forward and grow. You get to decide which path you want to take.

Overall, a vision board is a tool that helps you define your goals, visualize your desired outcomes, and work toward making your dreams come true. It’s a personal and meaningful representation of your future aspirations that can have a positive impact on your mindset and actions.

How to Create a Vision Board

Creating a vision board is a creative process so let your imagination and creativity run wild. You can create it physically on a piece of paper/poster board or digitally in an online tool like Canva. I like to create my vision boards in Canva and then print them off as a poster.

Regardless of where you create your vision board, make sure you have some fun while creating it. And in case you’re not sure how to go about it, below are the steps you can take to create your vision board.

• Set Your Intentions: Clarify your goals across different areas of your life, such as career, relationships, health, and personal development.
• Gather Supplies: Collect magazines, newspapers, printed images, quotes, scissors, glue, a poster board, or any other materials you’d like to use.
• Collect Visuals: Look for images, words, and quotes that resonate with your goals and aspirations. They can be anything that sparks excitement and motivation.

Pro tip: Instead of using random images, find your own photos that reflect the goals on your vision board. This may not be possible for every goal, but give it a try for the ones where it is doable. For example, if one of your goals is to eat healthier, find a picture of yourself drinking a smoothie or eating a salad and add it to your vision board. It’ll be way more motivating to go after your goals once you see yourself achieving them rather than some random person.

• Arrange and Create: Arrange your chosen visuals on the poster board in a way that’s visually appealing to you. Get creative with the layout and design. Remember, this can be both on paper or digitally.
• Affirmations: Include positive affirmations that reinforce your beliefs and intentions. These can be handwritten or printed out.
• Place it Strategically: Put your vision board in a place where you’ll see it daily, such as your bedroom, office, or any other area you frequent.
• Regular Review: Take a few moments each day to gaze at your vision board. Imagine yourself living your dreams as you look at the images.
• Update and Evolve: As you achieve your goals or as your aspirations change, don’t hesitate to update your vision board to reflect your evolving desires.

To Sum Up

In a world filled with distractions, a vision board offers a potent way to keep your goals and dreams in focus. By creating a visual representation of your aspirations and regularly immersing yourself in it, you harness the power of visualization to manifest the life you desire. The journey of creating and nurturing a vision board is not only fulfilling but also empowers you to take charge of your future, one inspiring image at a time. Start creating your ultimate vision board today and watch your dreams come to life.

The post Visualize Your Success: Creating Your Ultimate Vision Board appeared first on Snowation.

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.

Earl Nightingale

In this article, we will go through the importance of setting your goals, as well as the importance of your mindset while setting them. After providing you with the necessary information on different types of goals and how to actually utilize this process, I think the benefits of setting goals will finally show how valuable this can be for your personal, but also very much for your professional growth.

Why Is Setting Goals Important?

All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do.

Norman Vincent Peale

Setting goals has an undeniable importance in every aspect of life. No matter if your goals pertain to your professional or personal life, the impact of clearly defined goals will be seen in your success, as well as your own well-being. Setting goals is important because it makes you assess yourself and your present situation and provides you with direction and clarity for your future. Overall, it can lead to improvement in your mental health and satisfaction with your work and life relationship, all beginning with the same small steps towards achieving your goals and success. 

End Goals vs Means Goals

If you were to look up different types of goals, you’d find many different classifications. Personally, I like the classification of goals into means and end goals and have been using those two for a while now. For those of you who are not familiar with these two, let me give you a bit more details.

There is a tendency to use the term goals in a very broad sense. Someone’s goal might be to finish a report that is due by the end of the week, while another person would say their goal is to be happy in life. This is why we have to differentiate two equally important types of goals before we decide how to set them for ourselves – end goals and means goals.

In line with what was already mentioned, we can look at means goals as directions and end goals as destinations. Means goals are flexible, often short-term goals that help you achieve your end goals. They should be SMART — specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound. On the other hand, end goals are more vague, long-term objectives for your life that reflect your values and ideals which you should never compromise for. With this in mind, means goals should be set and adapted according to the already set end goals. 

This is where differentiating the two types is crucial. Let’s say a means goal isn’t working out or isn’t getting you closer to the outcome you’ve been anticipating. This can often seem like a failure or you just get caught up with the little things. The ability to recognize this situation and change your means goals will help you avoid this frustration. After all, it only distracts you from getting to a place you wish to be. 

What Are the Benefits of Goal Setting?

We have talked about the importance of goals themselves and the ways we set them, but what about the real benefits that are expected after? Well, closely looking at some of the many benefits it offers should help you realize your situation, take action, and achieve your goals.

Clarity & Direction

First of all, setting precise goals enables you to get more clarity and focus towards your desires. This means you get a clear view of what to do next, making it easier to take the first step towards changing your approach to help you on your way. It gives you a direction to focus on, instead of you being unsure of what to spend your time on. With a clear focus, you will have peace of mind knowing that your time is being used efficiently. Meaning, when you clarify your goals, your energy won’t be spent on decision-making, because you will be spending your energy on actively working towards your goals.

Increased Motivation

Having clear goals gives you something to aspire for, instead of just hoping something will happen eventually. When you start working towards your goals, not only will you get the feeling of accomplishment through the small victories in your path, but the fact that you are getting closer to your desired end keeps you motivated throughout. What’s more, you will realize the importance of setting both your means and end goals. Every small action you take and succeed in continually motivates you and helps you strive.

More Productivity, Less Procrastination

Another benefit is that there will be more time for productivity and, in turn, less procrastinating. According to The State of High Performing Teams, 59% of tech workers see clear goals and expectations as the most important factor contributing to productivity. Time is a very important resource so being able to manage it properly and knowing how to allocate it makes you more efficient. As we mentioned before, when you have a clear direction, there is no reason to take that road. With clear goals that keep you motivated and excited about finishing even the smallest tasks, procrastination won’t be a problem. In case you do still struggle with being productive, I recommend you check out my article on how to get rid of procrastination.

Continuous Improvement

The momentum of your success begins with your excitement when defining your goals and continues to inspire you to continue and persevere. If you write your goals down and take a look at them after some time, seeing your progress will make you see how good of a decision defining them was. Your improvement here refers to both the achievement of the goals themselves and the personal growth that leads you to better decisions and setting future goals.

Commitment & Accountability

Setting goals for yourself makes you feel responsible and accountable, which is obviously important for both your work and personal life. Commitment to achieving your goals means that when you decide you will do something, you stick to it and find a way how, despite all the setbacks that show up along the way. In turn, this makes you an accountable person for yourself, and as importantly, accountable for others in your possible professional endeavors.

Increased Confidence and Satisfaction

Finally, like a domino effect, you will find yourself consistently progressing and improving in your life and career. This opens the door for new systems and behaviors that will sustain the upclimb to satisfaction. You will feel increased confidence when measuring your progress from the beginning with only a list of goals, and then seeing the fruits of your efforts. On an even bigger scale, the end of this process could help you identify a purpose through deep introspection that, in the long run, is needed to achieve this stage of fulfillment in your life.

What’s Important to Keep in Mind When Setting Goals? 

Now that we know the difference between means and end goals and the benefits of setting them, let’s talk about some tips you should know on goal setting before you start.

Think About the Emotion

When defining your goals, they will inevitably be tied in with emotions. Whether this is the determination to finally achieve something you have always wanted, the anticipated happiness of getting to your dream outcome, or even excitement about what the future holds for you, it is important to always hold onto these emotions. This emotional investment into your goals is exactly what will push you to strive to achieve them. Additionally, it comes in handy to remind yourself of the positive aspects that await, especially when it seems like your plans are failing or you realize the road to achieving these goals is not as easy as you expected.

Remember Your Why

Another aspect to consider, not only when defining your goals, but also on your way to achieving them, is the reason why you set them for yourself. You should always keep in mind why you set this goal and why it is important for you to achieve it. Tying in with what was said about end goals, they should be in line with your core values and something you believe in. When we believe in something to be a good outcome, we are more likely to take action and achieve it.

Have an Accountability Buddy or Group

It is probably no surprise to hear that being held accountable for your goals influences your results, but it should be pointed out exactly how much this can be beneficial towards success. Having a person or multiple people made aware of your goals increases your chances of achieving them because they offer support to get you there. Being in an accountability group means you are over 80% more likely to reach a goal, meaning that being accountable for a goal to someone else is proven to be very important. These people may be particularly significant during the times when you feel unsure or think about giving up, as they offer encouragement and the motivation you need. 

Sometimes this may be a friend or work colleagues, but a lot of the time, it may feel like this isn’t enough to help you overcome the struggles on your journey towards your goals. In this case, it may be time to consider consulting and working with an accountability coach. In case you’re not familiar with accountability coaching, feel free to read my article on what an accountability coach does. Additionally, if you’re a business owner, I recommend you read my article on benefits of accountability coaching for small business owners to get a clearer picture of what you can get out of it.

Time to Set Your Goals

At the end of the day, there is no reason why you shouldn’t consider all of the benefits goal-setting can have on your career and life. Now, knowing the basics of different types of goals such as end and means goals and what to keep in mind when defining them, I hope you feel more prepared to dive into assessing and thinking about what’s next for you. Hopefully, it’ll also make you more aware of all the good things a simple change like goal-setting can bring. 

Remember, if you have some questions or feel you might need guidance in defining motivational goals for yourself that will drive you to success, feel free to schedule a free chat with me.

Finally, don’t forget to enjoy this journey!

The post 6 Reasons Why Setting Goals Is Important appeared first on Snowation.