1.

2 SET & SMASH YOUR GOALS

Introduction
This module is designed to introduce participants to the importance of setting goals as well
as prepare them mentally and provide some generic strategies to smashing these goals.

Relevance to Overall Program Objective:

This module is intended to make AEP participants comfortable with and familiar with the
concept of goal setting. The information provided in this module will be essential to each
participant in appraising his/her goals and determining his/her level of attentiveness and
preparedness towards the journey of achieving these goals.

Class Duration
This class would run for two hours (10:00am through 12:00pm).
The class breakdown is as follows:
 Pre class assignment Discussion: - 15minutes
 Pre- Reading Discussion: - 20minutes
 Class Presentation: - 1hour
 Post Reading Discussion: - 20minutes

Learning Objectives
By the end of Key Module 2, each student will:
 Understand the importance of goal setting and time management as they start their
path to entrepreneurship
 Learn how to create achievable goals, plan and effectively achieve those goals.
 Understand the importance of improving personal effectiveness and the impact it has
on making them succeed as entrepreneurs
 Identify and create their business and personal goals and begin creating 5-year plan

Recommended Instructor Background

The recommended instructor(s) for Key Module 1 should be entrepreneurs with existing or
past NIGERIAN businesses. Instructors should be able to share their experiences, with regards
to all the various stages involved in establishing, managing and growing a business. The
instructor(s) handling should also have been involved in a business planning process in terms
of writing and/or reviewing business plans.

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 Key Module: Entrepreneurship 101
Sub Module: Set & Smash Your Goals
Material for: Pre- Class Assignment
Title: Setting & Achieving Goals

This assignment is help you clarify your vision (the final destination) as well as outline how you
should get there. The outcome of this exercise would be a set of goals, which should serve as
a compass for personal, professional, etc., decisions you will take, as you navigate through
your life. There are no right or wrong answers.

Instructions:
You will need several sheets of paper and a pen. Follow the instructions outlined in each of
the steps below. You may want to answer each question on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What’s important to you in life? What would you like to accomplish between now and the
end of your life? At the end of your life, what would you like people to say you accomplished?

2. Identify those areas, which you must set goals around, in order to achieve the lifetime goal,
which you identified in (1) above. Some of these may include, family, social, finance, career,
spiritual, hobbies, community, people etc. What do you plan to accomplish or attain during
the next twelve (12) months, along these areas?

3. Compare the two (2) lists of goals, which you have developed from (1) and (2) above, and
ensure that the goals you set in (2) (short-term goals), will enable you accomplish the goals
set in (1) (long-term goals). If your short-term goals, as detailed in (2), do not support (1), then
re-write them.

4. Review the goals you have on your list. Are there any you are not willing to pay the price
for? If yes, please remove them from the list. Leave behind only those goals you are willing to
do all it takes to make a reality in your life. This does not necessarily mean you have the money
or the other resources for attaining the goal right now. However, when you do have it, would
you spend it on or trade it for the goals you have on your list?

5. What are your business, job or professional goals for the next twelve (12) months? Rank
each of these in order of importance. What outcome would you like to attain for each of these
areas, in the next 12 months? In writing your job goals, please ensure, you consider what you
would like to accomplish along the following areas: financial, personnel, customer base, sales,
quality, quantity, cost control, cost improvement, equipment, procedures, training etc.

6. Compare your job or work goals with your short-term goals as detailed in (2) above. Put an
asterisk (*) where your business/job goals coincide you’re your short-term goals. Note that
you will be more motivated when you focus on those areas marked with an asterisk.

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7. Write a list of activities which you must do in order to attain the Long-term, Short-term and
Business/Job Goals, which you have written in (1), (2) and (5) above.

8. From the list you just developed in (7) above, write on another sheet of paper titled
“Immediate To-Do List”, all the activities which you must do tomorrow and the rest of the
week, in order to move you closer towards accomplishing all the things you have listed in (7)
above.

9. Create a time line or matrix chart on which you display all your goals visually with the
corresponding dates when you intend to accomplish them.

10. Review/adjust all three (3) categories of goals at least every three months.

11. Review and adjust (if necessary) on a daily basis, your Immediate To-Do List

Remember: To achieve a balance you must be able to integrate your personal and professional
goals. Also, setting a goal that is unattainable will result in frustration!

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 Key Module: Entrepreneurship 101
Sub Module: Set & Smash Your Goals
Material for: Pre- Reading
Title: The S.M.A.R.T way to set and smash your business goals

Since the dawn of your business, you have most likely been bombarded with an abundance of
different goal-setting methods as a way of smashing your business goals. If your business is
only just emerging into the big wide world of commerce, you may be a bit puzzled on which
method to take on board. A business is defined by goals and without thinking SMART about
them, you will have nothing to strive for.

HOW TO THINK SMART ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS GOALS.

“How amazing would it be to have 10,000 Facebook likes!?” You say one day after making a
Facebook business page. It would be amazing wouldn’t it? But think about it, how exactly could
you transform this foxy resolution into a bottom-line result? Business goals are essential to
your firm’s growth and unlike your new year's resolutions, it is imperative that you tackle them
head on. Because of this you need to make your goals SMART. Attune them to the following
criteria and review them either daily, weekly or monthly.

1. SPECIFIC
What exactly do you want to achieve? More clients? How many? By When? Great business
goals are well defined, focused and clarified. By precisely answering the 5 W’s – Who, What,
Where, Why and Which – and establishing a clear picture of your business objectives, you can
achieve clear-cut goals with a purpose.

2. MEASURABLE

In any way, shape or form, numbers are indispensable to the business world. To smash a
business goal, it must be quantified and accessed. Setting a time or tracking your progress on
a calendar means that your business gets closer and closer every second to popping some
streamers and partying over your success. Without a way of measuring your triumphs, you
miss out on experiencing the exhilaration of your achievements.

3. ATTAINABLE

It can be pretty discouraging when the bar for a goal is set as high as the Empire State Building.
As disheartening as it is to admit, your business can’t take over the world in one night, so
maybe opt for a more attainable goal. Setting goals is meant to be an inspiring task that spurs
ambition, not erodes confidence. Hence, you need to be proactive and realistic and think about
what skills and tools you need to accomplish them.

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4. RELEVANT

From the grand scheme of things, business goals must be relevant to your firm's overall
mission. Saying you would like to run 20km in 2 hours may be specific, attainable and time
bound but it isn’t at all relevant to a goal unless you are training for your next half-marathon.
Therefore, relevance is key, and individual business goals should always align with your
business objectives.

5. TIME BOUND

Drawing a line in the sand and giving your business goal a deadline creates a sense of urgency
and establishes a greater likelihood of accomplishment. Whether it be weeks, months or years,
a timeframe enforces motivation and reinforces the priority of a business goal.

Source: - Nita Childs; The S.M.A.R.T Way to set and smash your business goals; (2016,
October). [Web log message].
Retrieved from
https://whatthefox.com.au/foxy-tips/business/the-s-m-a-r-t-way-to-set-and-smash-your-
business-goals/

Key Module: Entrepreneurship 101

Sub Module: Set & Smash Your Goals
Material for: Class Presentation
Title: How to set goals & smash them

 Goal Setting; A presentation developed by FATE Foundation

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 Key Module: Entrepreneurship 101
Sub Module: Set & Smash Your Goals
Material for: Post - Reading
Title: How to set goals & smash them

Whenever I meet someone who wants to start and succeed in a creative business, I always ask
them the same question: W H Y A R E Y O U D O I N G T H I S ?

And depending on who you are, where you are at life right now and your own internal values
and beliefs, there are a bunch of answers that might come straight to your mind:

• To retire early

• To be financially independent

• To give your children or family a better future

• To help other people, whether that is through your product or an intense motivation
to give back to those in need

• To do something you are truly passionate about

There are countless other reasons people decide to build a creative business. But behind the
drive to innovate and create something worthwhile, there’s also a dream.

For some, being able to live simply without worry is the dream. For others, it’s the dream home,
the personal chef and the ability to not feel guilty after you’ve just splurged $500 on a new
pair of shoes. Sound familiar?

I’m probably more than guilty of dreaming about “the dream”. I would often think about all
the things I could do. All the places I could travel to. And the home that I would buy once I
“made it”. After a few hours of planning my ultimate no-deadline vacation, I’m left wondering,
“Maybe this life just isn’t for me”.

THE PROBLEM WITH BIG DREAMS

The problem with big dreams, big visions and big goals is the same.
We simply cannot
comprehend them.

After growing up in a middle class family my whole life, how can I even
imagine making 6 figures a year? My parents never even made half of that…combined!
How
can I imagine taking off 6 months every year to go travelling around the world when I struggle
to even extend my annual vacations past 2 weeks?

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So then I stop. That’s it. Because, well this is just life. And I should accept the fact that my life,
after all, is a privileged life and I shouldn’t be complaining about wanting more.

It’s this idea that our big dreams, our big goals and our big visions are right in front of us. But
we can’t reach them. They’re unattainable. We feel as though we don’t deserve our dreams.

Now when it comes to business goals it’s the same thing all over again.

It’s so easy to write down on a piece of paper that your big vision goal is to make 6 figures in
profit by this time next year.

And as your deadline inches closer and closer, and you’re no closer to your goal than at the
very beginning, you start to approach a very dangerous zone.

Then we see people who are absolutely killing it. Whether it’s people we know, our competitors
or some stranger you read about on the internet. So you might think to yourself, how did they
find success but I didn’t?

It’s the place where you give up. Stop chasing after the dream. Shrug it off as a silly notion and
return to your 9 to 5 job again.

This is what I want to tackle today. How to make goals (no matter how big) and make them
happen.

CELEBRATE SMALL WINS

I love to create to-do lists. I feel organized. I feel busy. But best of all, I feel accomplished when
I get to furiously cross out a task I set myself. It doesn’t have to be big either:

• Do the washing
• Go grocery shopping
• Drop off parcels at the post office
• Edit my blog post draft
It’s so important to break down your goals into tiny, actionable chunks that you can achieve
in a day or less.

When you set yourself hefty goals like Launch my online shop you are ultimately delaying the
pleasure of fulfilment until the very end.

So every time you write a goal, think about how you can split that goal into 5 more mini goals.
And then how you can split those 5 secondary goals into another set of tasks. And keep doing

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this until you have a tree of goals. At the very end, you are going to have a bunch of goals at
the very bottom that you can probably tick off in an hours’ time!

Here’s a snapshot of my personal goal tree that I’ve set out for myself.

After you’ve drawn up your goal tree, make little notes or stars next to goals that are
particularly valuable to you. These will be your midpoint wins. These are the goals that you
reward yourself when you hit them.

If your goal is to have $100,000 in revenue, the truth is you need to get to $50,000 first. And
before that you would have needed to get to $10,000. The most exciting time from my
journey in business was when I made my first $10 online. So never, ever discount those
small (yet seemingly insignificant) goals.

Don’t reward yourself when you hit it big. Make sure you are constantly celebrating your wins,
big and small every single day, month and year. They don’t have to be financial or material
wins either. Let yourself sleep in an extra hour one day. Buy yourself a larger hot chocolate
instead. Give yourself 10 minutes to talk just about your successes so far with a partner or
friend. Use the same goal tree layout for all your big vision goals.

SET BIG GOALS YOU CARE ABOUT

Why are there so many Lose half your weight in 1-week diet fads on health store shelves? We
all know they’re only temporary. You’ll gain the weight back in a week’s time. But they keep
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flying off the shelves. The truth is, these products only work by targeting the insecurities within
us.

If you’ve ever fallen prey to a fad diet, is it only because you wanted to fit into that tinier dress?
Or because those pictures of flat stomachs make you feel guilty? When you set goals like “I
want to lose weight to be skinny”, there is no substance to the goal. And although the outcome
is desirable, once you do reach it, there won’t be any desire to maintain it.

That’s why it is so important to make goals that will impact your life in big ways. Do you want
to shape yourself up? Do it because you want to live a healthier lifestyle overall. Do it so that
you can act as a role model to your children and loved ones.

With a little bit of thinking, you can mould your current business goals into holistic milestones
that will make you feel good about yourself and your ultimate vision:

• Change your goal from “I want to retire at 40 years old” to “I want to build a job where
I can do what I love everyday instead of working”
• Change your goal from “I want to be making $10,000 in recurring revenue every month
to “I want to make enough money to not worry about my every day expenses”
• Change your goal from “I want to have 50,000 new followers by the end of the year”
to “I want to help 50,000 people to realize their self-worth”
When you change the way you approach your goals, something interesting happens. You stop
chasing the numbers and you start chasing the stuff that makes you feel good about yourself.

APPRECIATE YOUR WINS

When you hear stories of entrepreneurs selling their first business for 5 million dollars at 25
it’s pretty easy to feel disheartened. But what most people don’t realize, is that they went
through the exact same struggles that you did. And their successful exit certainly didn’t
happen overnight.

That’s why it can be so damaging to read articles like How I made $50,000 in revenue in 6
months because we only see two extremes condensed in a very short period of time.

My good friend has just over $150,000 in the bank which she is saving up for a house deposit.
When I ask her if she feels rich, she says no. Yes, she is better off and very lucky about where
she is in life. But rich? Nah not that…yet.

To get to where she is, she finished high school. She attended university, graduated with a
dual degree and started working full time earning minimum wage.

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Running your own business and climbing your own goal tree is going to work in the exact
same way. Success doesn’t come overnight.
And when it does come, you probably won’t even notice it.
A good education. A decent salary. And a soon to be a piece of real estate? Unbeknownst to
my friend, she is successful.
You don’t have to have everything. Heck when you do get to the point where you have
everything you thought you wanted, you probably want more.
So don’t run after the shiny lottery. It can be your downfall. Run after what you can achieve in
the right now and by this time next year, you will have achieved more than you can imagine.
I always talk about setting goals, but more likely than not I know you have achieved great
wins already.
Recognize this fact and let it drive your motivation to win more goals.
WHAT IF I DON’T ACHIEVE MY BIG VISION GOAL?

It doesn’t matter.
Because while you have been working towards your goal, you have probably achieved more
than you think during the process. You didn’t fail to make 6 figures a year. Because you made
enough money to fund your most recent vacation. You didn’t fail to gain 50,000 customers to
your business. But you have impacted hundreds of customers and made each of them smile.
You didn’t make it to the top of the business world. But you’ve done something amazing,
learnt the lessons that you needed to learn. And you will never regret your experiences.

Source:- https://www.craftsposure.com/blog/the-secret-to-being-able-to-set-goals-and-
smash-them

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