Goal-Setting Tips for Achieving Success in Your Cleaning Business
What separates owners of successful cleaning companies from those that struggle year after year? It's not necessarily about being smarter, working harder, or having more connections. Very often, the biggest difference is having goals.
One survey of small business owners found that more than 80 percent didn't keep track of their business goals—and 77 percent had yet to achieve their vision. Having clear, outlined goals is like creating a map for your business. If you don't know where you're heading, how will you find your way there?
Goal setting doesn't need to be a long, complicated process. Follow these tips to craft a clear vision for driving your business forward.
1. Create SMART Goals
Too often, business owners set goals that are big, vague, and/or unrealistic. To avoid frustration and disappointment, make sure your big-picture goals pass the SMART test. Ask yourself whether each goal is:
- Specific: Clearly defined, precise, not overly generic.
- Measurable: Specific metrics and milestones you can use to track progress.
- Attainable: Realistic, manageable, and something you can actually achieve.
- Relevant: Fits your mission and business model.
- Timebound: Has a clear deadline.
For any goal that doesn't meet one or more criteria, break it down further until it does. The smaller and more structured your goals, the easier it will be to build momentum and eventually reach them.
2. Picture the Personal Rewards and the Business Rewards
Once you are certain which goals you'll be pursuing, take a moment to write a list of the benefits of achieving them.
“By adding this service, we'll be able to add more profit to each cleaning account.”
“I'll have more freedom and independence.”
“I'll have my mornings free to spend with my children.
We are far more likely to pursue our goals, even when times get tough, if we understand the why behind them.
3. Make a Plan for Your Goals
Hanging a list of goals on your wall won't make them magically happen. It takes work to achieve them, and that means creating an action plan. It's better to have a longer list of small to-dos than a shorter one with only a few generic steps.
It can be useful to reverse-engineer your plan. Working backward from accomplishing the goal, determine each step needed until you reach where you are now. Remember to identify the milestones or metrics you'll use along the way to know whether you're on track or falling behind.
4. Get Help so You Can Achieve Your Goals
The planning stage is incredibly useful. It allows you to identify and prepare for potential obstacles you may need to overcome to reach the goal. It may also uncover skills you must learn or brush up, as well as areas where you need to hire or contract help.
This is a good time to make a list of people who can help you achieve your goals. You don't need to do it all on your own! People are willing to help. This is exactly why we created The Janitorial Store. We enjoy helping cleaning company owners become successful in their business. Our motto is, "being independent doesn't mean going it alone".
In addition to folks who can help you do the work necessary to reach your goals, you may also want to identify an accountability partner. This could be another leader in your business or, more likely, a peer who regularly checks on your progress. If you're not yet a member of a mastermind group, accountability is a good reason to consider joining one.
5. Work the Plan
Make a commitment to your business by remaining focused on your goals. Some people have the grand goal of owning a wildly successful business, but it never happens for them because they don't follow through on the action steps required to make it happen.
It's easy to get distracted by the day-to-day details of running a contract cleaning business. When you get bogged down in administrative and management tasks, though, you may forget all about the goals you've set and the action plan you created.
Setting goals in January and not looking at them again until July is no way to achieve results!
It's important to actually look at—and act on—your goals often. Place them where you'll see them every day—on the wall, in your planner, or in your electronic calendar.
A thorough plan should have daily, weekly, and monthly steps that maintain forward progress year-round. If you consistently work the plan, the plan will work.
6. Review and Tweak Your Goals
A SMART goal includes metrics and milestones for a reason. They are intended to help you see what's working and what may require adjustments.
Review your numbers weekly. If you're not happy with the outcomes, it's okay to make changes to your goals and the associated action steps. Goals are not set in stone! The most accomplished leaders are flexible, reviewing and tweaking their goals in response to new opportunities and changes in the marketplace.
7. Celebrate Success as You Achieve Your Goals
When you set goals, it's easy to get focused on the end result. Unfortunately, depending on the size of the goal, it could take months or even years to reach the big prize. During that long slog, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and defeated—and to give up.
This is another reason to set milestones for each goal. They serve as “pit stops” along your path where you can take a moment to celebrate. Recognizing smaller successes as you work toward a bigger goal is a great way to keep momentum going and avoid quitting.
Do You Need Help with Growing and Running Your Cleaning Business?
The Janitorial Store is a private, members-only resource for those serious about starting, improving and growing a profitable cleaning business.
As 30 year veterans of the cleaning industry, we know that the business of cleaning can be incredibly challenging. The competition is fierce and the margins are low. It's a demanding business and it's tough to grow it and make it successful. Within the private members-only area, you'll find a huge selection of in-depth information that you won't find anywhere else on the Internet.
You can struggle or succeed. The decision is obvious... Join Today!
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