When it comes to setting business goals, it seems simple: isolate the thing you want, and go after it! 

But setting goals you can keep… that’s not so black and white.

The key to creating clear goals that lead you down the path of success lies in choosing the right type of goal to strive for. 

You might be saying to yourself, “Well, that’s no secret.” – and you’re right, lots of business experts have emphasised the importance of types of goals in goal-setting discussions but the secret is that it’s really not as complicated as it sounds, you just have to ask yourself the right questions. 

There are ultimately two types of goals to set, and you get to choose which one feels the best for you. The reason it’s a secret is because people often don’t ask themselves the right questions to find out which type of goal setting will work for them. 

But once you analyze and pick the right goal type for your business objectives, you’ll be set to achieve those goals in a tangible way. 

The Two Types of Business Goals

When it comes down to it, there are two types of goals you can set: 

1) Grounded and Realistic Goals

2) Stretch Goals

Let’s explore  more about what both actually mean.

Grounded, Realistic Goals

Grounded and realistic goals are just what they sound like: grounded in reality and evidence. Setting grounded and realistic goals generally work best if you don’t have a lot of self trust or have yet cultivated self trust, which is especially common if you are NEWER in business. It’s also a great goal type to focus on if you haven’t yet built evidence to support the fact that you can achieve your goals.

For example, if you’re in your third year of business and for the last 3 years you’ve set a goal to make $100k, but you haven’t reached it, you might currently feel like you’re lacking in self-trust. Because of that, you might become unattached to your goals because it seems like they’re never really working for you. That unattachment may make you feel like it’s highly unlikely you’ll reach that goal, because you’ve always set it and never reached it.

In the same scenario, if you know how you could create $80k that year—even though it still feels big—then that might be the better goal for you, because you’re going to be able to really commit and stick to it. It seems like a small change, but our subconscious minds latch on to the things we have evidence for. 

By striving for a goal you’ve never reached and don’t know how to attain, it may actually make achieving that goal so much harder. But by making small adjustments to strive for a goal you have a clear plan for, you may just be changing the whole game! 

Stretch Goals 

Stretch goals are longer-term, higher reaching goals. Setting this type of goal is best if you’ve cultivated self-trust and/or have built evidence for yourself that you are “someone who reaches your goals.”

For example, if you have strong evidence that in your first 3 years of business you’ve already met several business goals, you’re likely ready to strive for something a little grander. Many people start with grounded, realistic goals before proving to themselves that they can in fact meet their goals—then they push for a stretch goal.

Your goal for your latest year might be one-million dollars in revenue, and that might feel like quite a stretch for you from a mindset perspective. You might not fully know yet what that’s going to look like. Even if you have a pretty clear roadmap, there are a lot of variables that could still stand in your way. But if you’ve created self trust, you’ll likely feel good about creating this goal and sharing it with your audience, really owning it. And then whether you reach your goal or not, you know that you’re going to put forth your best effort to achieve it. 

Set Clear Goals and Achieve Them 

Here’s the thing: even if you don’t reach your goals, that says nothing about you. 

I have so many goals that I’ve made, over the last year especially, that I haven’t reached, and I honestly don’t spend a second caring. I just keep moving forward, setting new goals—with the right goal type in mind—and working towards getting better at achieving them every time! 

I actually recommend a certain level of detachment from your goal no matter which goal type you choose, because ultimately that detachment is what helps you to make it happen without being over-obsessed with outcomes. 

It’s all a part of the manifestation process: creating a goal or a vision and then letting it go, trusting and embodying that reality for yourself. 

So, for example, if you have a goal set to make a million dollars this year, start telling yourself: I feel like a millionaire already, I make millionaire decisions, and I use millionaire mindset techniques. You’ll be detached enough to feel so present in the outcome that it seems almost inevitable. This takes your goal setting to the next level. 

Beyond establishing the right types of goals and manifesting them for yourself, I would encourage you to ask yourself if you’re surrounded by people who call you to reach for bigger goals? 

With goals, there’s always a new one to set, something bigger and better to strive for and you can definitely achieve those great goals—you just have to back yourself, choose the right goal types, and go from there. The people around you will play a big role in how that goal-setting process develops over time, so you want to make sure you’re setting yourself up for success by being part of an inspiring, supportive, energising community.

Ellie Swift is a marketing and mindset coach based in Western Australia. With a strong corporate marketing background, she created the Swift Marketing Method™, and now runs over a half million dollar business. Her courses have helped high-performing female entrepreneurs build abundant and sustainable online businesses. She currently hosts the Shine Online with Ellie Swift podcast. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.