“People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.”
-Brian Tracy
Three years ago, I enrolled in my first coaching program called The Strategic Coach, a program dedicated to helping entrepreneurs achieve exponential growth.
I seldom use the expression “game changer,” but this program is just that.
I plan on writing future blog posts sharing what I've learned from the program and how I've benefited from it.
My hope is that you'll also gain some key takeaways that you can apply to your own life.
Each quarter, I spend a full day with other like-minded entrepreneurs in a classroom-like setting, going over the material for that day.
Before we get started, we celebrate our “wins” for the previous quarter, helping us recognize everything we've accomplished in the past 90 days.
Believe me, as busy as I am, I sometimes lose sight of all the wins – big or small.
The next part that we talk about is what I want to focus on today.
G-O-A-L-S
Another part of our day is focused on writing our goals for the upcoming quarter, as well as revisiting/updating our 1-year, 3-year, and lifetime goals.
Prior to joining Strategic Coach, I had a decent habit of writing down my goals at the beginning of each year. In fact, I even made blog posts of them here and here.
I thought that by publishing my goals as blog posts, I would stay committed and achieve more.
Guess what happened?
I published another blog post shortly after I published those. And another. And another. And another.  You get the point:
I forgot about those goals and I barely revisited them.
Now, because of my coaching program, I review my goals consistently and can visibly see what I've done, and what I need to do.
That discipline has yielded exponential results in my business and in my personal life.
Business-wise, my revenue has increased almost 100% since I started creating and consistently revisiting my goals. Even more impressive is that I've been able to structure my business to where I focus more on the things I love to do, rather than the things I have to do.Â
As I said previously:Â #gamechanger.
Below, you will find my most recent set of goals that I wrote down a few weeks ago.  I've tried my best to be as transparent as I can, in hopes you'll find some benefit from it.
Regarding some of the revenue goals, please keep the following in mind:  I've been a financial advisor for 10 years, and am now the CEO of my own company. You can read about some of my journey here and here. Also, my online business has been going for 5 years strong. You can keep up with that journey on my and my wife's joint blog, Dollars and Roses.
Okay, let's take a look at my goals….
Quarterly Goals (This quarter ends January 25th)
1.  Launch Good Financial Cents Podcast – This includes ordering intro off of Fiverr.com and recording at least 11 episodes (4 before submitting to iTunes).
2. Launch redesign of Good Financial Cents. I've had a designer working on this since mid-July. The design is complete and now I'm trying to find somebody to convert the design into new WordPress theme Genesis. You can get a sense of the color scheme of my podcast cover art above and here's another look at my new logo:
3. [Done] Give killer talk at FinCon. I went; I spoke; I conquered. You can read my wife's recap of the event here.
4. Schedule Disney Cruise with family. This summer, we went to several conferences and took a spontaneous trip to visit one of Mandy's blogging buddies in Pittsburgh, but we never took an actual family vacation. Part of the issue is that Mandy thought we might get a free cruise through a deal on her blog. That, unfortunately, never came through, and summer came to screaming end.
I've never been on a cruise. I was supposed to go on two before, but my deployment to Iraq interfered with the first one, and Mandy's new hiring at her old job interfered with the second. Since I absolutely hate the winter, I thought it would be fun to take the fam somewhere warm. I am already ready to go!
More from GFC, Below
5. Complete Course for Wisebread.com. Starting last year, I started working with the peeps over at Wisebread.com as their “CFP” contributor. They had, and have, a great community over there, but they were in need of having an expert with credentials who's also obsessed with blogging. Enter me. 🙂
We've decided to focus on a creating a course that talks about the key principles of my book, which will be available if you sign up for their e-mail list. Getting my book and my brand even more exposed to their audience is huge.
What's even more huge is that the material I create for the course will also be offered for my readers, too. Nothing like doing work on a project that can be used in multiple places.
This was a goal that wasn't originally on my radar until after attending FinCon, so this is definitely a prime example of having to adjust on the fly and go with what's hot.
1- Year Goals
1. Gross Revenues from all business will exceed $750,000. This will include Alliance Wealth Management, LLC and all of my online businesses. The ultimate goal is to see if my online revenue can surpass my financial planning practice.
2. Streamline duties of Alliance Wealth Management, LLC. Initiate systems and processes that allow my team to handle the brunt of the work. To make this happen, the following need to occur:
- Bring on a strategic partner to become the Chief Investment Officer who will handle most of my clients' needs (realizing that some “A Clients” will want to continue to work with me). Going forward, that partner would take the lead on any new client relationships.
- [Done] Hire a “Director of First Impressions” to handle all incoming and outgoing calls with clients. This person will be able to be trained by Brenta (our current shared support staff).
- [Done] Move junior advisor from salaried position to 1099 Independent contractor status, to handle life insurance division.
3. [Done] Launch a podcast specifically for Dollars and Roses. Our goal will be to do 2 podcasts per month. I’m still leaving a door open to launch a Soldier of Finance podcast to help with book marketing.  (Note: I've decided against the Soldier of Finance podcast and will instead do a Good Financial Cents podcast. See quarterly goal.)
Click here to subscribe to the “Dollars and Roses” Podcast in iTunes.
4. Release administrative duties of Good Financial Cents. This includes: scheduling of posts, inserting images, adding meta-tags, formatting posts, dealing with advertisers.
5. Schedule a 2-week RV trip with the family. As a kid, my mom and step-dad would take a childhood friend and I in a motor home and just drive. We toured northern California, Oregon, and Nevada, making some of the best memories of my life. I want my kids to have that experience. The only “must see” destination will be the Grand Canyon;  everything else will be an adventure.
3- Year Goals
1. Total revenues from all business to exceed $1 million per year. Ultimate goal is to net (after expenses) $1 million per year. My goal is that over 60% of this revenue will come from my online businesses.
2. Make my role with Alliance Wealth Management, LLC to be more of the face of the operation. I will conduct review meetings and joint initial meetings with bigger clients, but most of the work will be done by my team. For this to succeed, I need to implement the plans stated in my 1-year goals.
3. Content producer (and only content producer) for Good Financial Cents and Dollars and Roses. Content would include writing blog posts that are meaningful to me, conducting interviews, and producing videos. To allow me to focus on this, I need the following:
- Secure a full-time blog editor/affiliate manager who will proofread, schedule posts, and manage all affiliate opportunities.
- Continue to leverage freelance writers and VA’s to automate business.
4. Live abroad with entire family for a minimum of 3 weeks (4 preferred). My ideal country is Australia. This was actually a 1-year goal, but my wife thinks taking 3 young boys (current ages are 6, 3, and 2) and living abroad would be more pain than it's worth. At first I dismissed it, but then I remembered how our 2 year-old can be a bit of terror (see pic below).
I figure/hope/pray that in 3 years, the Rose fam will be ready for our first European (or Australian!) vacation. 🙂
Lifetime Goals
1. Spiritual leader of my household.  I want my kids to see me first as a God-loving father who puts his faith first before success. I want to continually love and support my wife, and do so in an Godly manner.
2. Live a long and filling life with my wife and family. Raise my kids with the philosophies of: working hard, but not sacrificing “work” for what you love; love first; and treat people with respect (Golden Rule)
3. Have several multiple-system driven businesses that produce >$100,000 a month of passive income.
4. Live in multiple countries (5+) for an extended period of time (minimum 3 weeks) with entire family
5. Inspire over 1,000,000 people to invest in themselves. This can be through traditional investing (Roth IRA, 401k), obtaining a higher degree or certification, or investing in a small business. More on this goal in the coming months.
6. Be a successful entrepreneur and best-selling author of numerous works. I want to be recognized as as a hard worker who put his family and faith first.
What if I don't achieve my goals?
Great question!  If I don't achieve my goals for that quarter, I don't beat myself up over it. The most common reason I don't achieve a certain goal is because something came up that wasn't expected that took priority over the previous goal.
Sometimes, though, the goals I don't achieve are just really bad ideas, and I don't realize that until I start working on them. I'm trying to get better at that, but the occasional bad idea still sneaks in.
Your Goals
As a reminder, I revisit these goals every quarter and make changes accordingly. Revisiting these goals is what has been huge for me.
When's the last time you wrote down your goals? More importantly, when's the last time you've revisited them?
Free Download: Want the same worksheet I used to write down my goals each quarter? Grab my Goal Achiever Worksheet and put your goals into hyper drive. Download the free worksheet HERE.
Wow! Great article Jeff! I really enjoyed your strategic approach to setting goals and how you make a point to revisit these goals every quarter. Like you said some goals you might not achieve, but those goals ended up not being a part of the plan, and didn’t hold you up to conquer your financial goals.
On the “Speaking of Wealth Show” (http://www.speakingofwealth.com) we focus on strategies for speakers, publishers, and consultants to maximize their income by promoting their knowledge. Several of our successful guests have shared goal-setting tips and advice to help listeners find clients who value their skills, building a lifetime of profits from their knowledge and commitment to their talents!
Again, great article!
I too believe that setting goals results in greater success! Personally, I create annual goals at the beginning of each year as well as long term goals. I would add that it is equally important to not just write down your goals but to also go back and review them periodically. I have done this consistently since college and can definitely see the impact that goal setting has had on my current success.
Great information, thank you.
One of my CEO’s Jeff Levitan showed me similar goal setting strategy, stretch it out 1 year, then bring it back month by month, week by week and day by day.
Jeff, thank you for sharing a great example of short, mid, and long term goals. I have a friend who runs an insurance brokerage and he attributes much of his success to the Strategic Coach program.
Wow, those are some goals! But knowing what you’ve done since you started your site I think you’ll hit your goals. Thanks for the motivation. I really need to re-visit all the ideas I’ve had and focus them into some concrete goals.
hey Jeff
inspiring article
at a point where am struggling with goal setting
could you help me(via coaching or recommendations of good websites or personal coaches) in regards to setting effective goals and fulfilling them
I’ve read so many articles similar to this one about writing your goals and revisiting them and I usually thought it was a waste of time, because we all make resolutions and forget about them. But I think your article was different because you mentioned your personal goals and shared which ones you had actually achieved though this strategy. To know that a planning tool works is more of a selling point than simply saying it will work in theory.
Your accomplishment at FinCon is nothing less than impressive. A lot of financial bloggers simply talked about going there but here’s someone who actually spoke at the conference… I’m glad for you!
Great stuff, I like the grand nature of the goals and what they actually are too. Making a great life for your family and making a positive impact on others as well makes for a great combo.
Personally, I have started putting together 1 month, 1-year, and 5-year goals – all in line with an overall vision. The key for me is going to be revisiting the goals regularly and keeping myself focused. Excited to see how I’m able to do this!
Keep us posted on your progress toward your goals…
@ Squirrelers
The feedback on this post has been tremendous. So much in fact that I’ve decided to update this post (or maybe a dedicated page) with my goals for each quarter.
Thank you this post, Jeff. It’s inspiring and encouraging. Concidentally, I was just thinking about my own goals yesterday. I often write them down, but I realize, I need to be more detailed, set timelines and revisit them. After finishing up this comment, that’s exactly what I’m going to do: revisit and revise my goals!
And like @Jacob, good on you for being bold with your financial goals as a Christian. What I’ve been learning from reading personal finance blogs, yours included, is how important it is to worship and honor God with our finances.
Wow, this was an inspirational and awesome post, Jeff. I have not set goals this big in a LONG time, something that definitely needs to happen soon. My goals are much more short-sighted.
I like the idea of coming up with the BIG goals first, and then reverse engineering them, creating shorter term goals that hit the 3 year, 1 year and 6 month spots. We did this as a couple when we first got married, but I have never done it for my online business. I am seriously wasting some precious time!
As a Christian, I LOVE that you don’t shy away from having big revenue goals. Some Christians think that making a lot of money is un-Christ-like or something. But you’ve already recognized that you don’t NEED the money, but can USE it as an agent for good. Philanthropic work is something I would love to get into someday…though the smaller goal of MAKING ENOUGH MONEY TO GIVE A LOT AWAY comes first 🙂
Thanks for your transparency here, and great meeting you in person at FinCon
Glad we got to meet at Fincon, too!
As a Christian, that was something that I’ve battled for quite sometime. I still constantly get prayer over it making sure that I’m not caught chasing my dream instead of His.
Hope this post inspires you to write down your goals and, more importantly , helps you achieve them.
This post has been an inspiration, and sparked some great conversations with my wife about where we want to go and what we need to do to get there. I’ll be honest, still haven’t written the goals down yet. D’oh!
Getting on that ASAP!
Dude, those are some serious goals! I think I need to join your personal coaching sessions and get in on some of that goodness!
Seriously though, you bring up a great point – I think many of us have sat down and created a list of goals or things we want to do, but that is the end of it for many people. Reviewing those goals, and more importantly, building systems and accountability to achieve those goals is another story.
Great piece motivational piece to get me thinking. 🙂
Thanks, Ryan! Taking it step further, I’m trying to be more diligent with weekly goals.
I’m using a weekly planner that I bring everywhere that is helping. Definitely feels good to productive! 🙂
Wow – some really ambitious goals, but if you don’t set them then you don’t achieve them. Heard a lot of good things about your talk at Fincon and looking forward to hearing more about the Good Financial Cents podcast.
Thank you! Can’t wait to get it out there. 🙂
Those are some great goals. I am in the process of working on my goals for next year as well as my 5 yr plan.
@ jason Let me know when you do. Can’t wait to check them out!
Your #1 lifetime goal is mine too. If you want to lead, stand out, and change the world: Be a selfless husband and an awesome dad. Think about it…how many of those guys do you know?!
Dude, you’ll love that Disney cruise! Cruises are the best….no planning involved. Get on the ship and kick back. Make sure you swing through the Magic Kingdom while in Florida!
Thanks Scott!
I’m not hating, but I genuinely want to know. What would you do with $100,000 a month in passive income? What would you spend it on? I don’t think I could come up with enough things to spend money on if I made that much for more than a year or two.
Forgot to subscribe to comments 🙂 Fixed!
@ Lance
Great question! It’s funny having income goals like that because the reality is that we don’t need it. Living in the Midwest we already make more than we need.
One thing that we do is tithe 10% to our church. That, of course, wouldn’t change and we probably tithe more.
This year we’ve had to pay a good chunk of money towards our adoption. If I were to achieve that revenue goal, I’m sure we would do some sort of philanthropic project.
God has blessed us with so many good things that it would selfish (and foolish) for us to not do good with it.
Hope that helps!
Thanks for sharing! I figured you had some big goal in mind.