7 Simple Steps for Reaching Any Business Milestone

Today is a big day here at BobandRosemary.com;  today is the day where we’ve reached a significant milestone in our business.

Today is a day for celebration!

You see, the post you are reading today is our 100th post published on this blog.

Now, that may not seem like much compared to some of the huge blogs out there in the blogosphere, but to us, 100 posts means something.

It means we are serious.  It means we are “in the game”.  It means we are on our way to changing the lives of others.

To us, it means we can call ourselves BLOGGERS!

Your Business Milestones are All About YOU!

You see, when you’re setting milestones,  it’s ALL ABOUT YOU!

You can (and should) have milestones in every area of your life:  Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, Relationships, and Business.

They are YOUR milestones to envision, to work towards, and to celebrate when you reach them.

Later in this post, I will give you some specific tips on reaching milestones in your business…

 But first a bit of clarification.

Aren’t Goals and Business Milestones The Same Thing?

We hear a lot about setting goals and how important it is.  It’s been drilled into our heads since we were young, and most of us do a lot of goal setting as part of our New Years’ Resolutions!

But isn’t a goal and a milestone the same thing?

Yes and no.

Goals and milestones may be first cousins, but there are important differences.

According to Webster’s dicitionary...

A GOAL is “the end towards which effort is directed; the result or achievement toward which effort is directed.”

A MILESTONE is “a significant point in development; a significant event in the progress of a person or business.”

For me, it means simply this…

A goal is my end result, the aim or target that I am working for.

A milestone is an important event that occurs along the way.

7 Simple Steps for Reaching Any Business Milestone

Milestones don’t just happen.  You don’t just wake up one day and realize you’ve reached a milestone in your business.

It’s not that easy.

But there are steps you can take that will help you along the way.

1.  Brainstorm

Sit down in a quiet place and envision the milestones that will take place as you are working towards a goal in your life.

What events that will occur along the way hold importance for you?

List them out and put them someplace where you can see them.

What are some examples?

• If you are just starting a business, milestones might include your first lead, your first sale, or the first month you see a positive return on your investment.
• If you goal is to have the best blog in your niche (as ours is), early milestones may include your first comment, your first re-tweet or in our case, your 100th post.

2.  Envision Yourself Achieving the Milestone

Now, see yourself actually achieving that milestone.  See it in our mind, draw a picture if you have to, but make it real for you.

These visualization techniques are the same ones you have probably used for goal setting, and they are just as powerful when it comes to achieving milestones.

3.  Make a Plan

Just as it’s important to make a map towards your goals, it’s equally important to develop a plan towards achieving milestones in your business.

Get as specific as you can here, and pay special attention to those critical first steps.

These are the ones that get most of us in trouble.

For us and our milestone of reaching 100 blog posts, our plan included a consistent posting schedule, a specific blog promotion strategy and an effective blog commenting strategy.

We knew that if we kept to our plan, achieving our milestone would be a sure thing!

4.  Make It Happen

Now that the planning has taken place, it’s time for ACTION.  That’s right – you’ll never reach any milestone in your business by simply thinking about it.

Now’s the time to roll up your sleeve and get to work.

If you’ve set your plan correctly, you’ll know exactly what steps need to be taken initially to get started.

So what are you waiting for?

5.  Be Accountable

Having an accountability partner has done wonders for our business.  What is that?

An accountability partner (sometimes called a “running buddy”) is someone who will help keep you on track, someone you are accountable to.  If your have a business partner, this person can also serve as your accountability partner.

If you’re a solo entrepreneur, you partner can be anyone who will get in your face if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

It’s just too easy to justify not doing something to yourself.

6.  Plan for Obstacles

On your way towards achieving a milestone or working towards a goal, obstacles WILL appear and stand in your way.  For a blogger, this may be in the form of writer’s block (“What do I write about?”).

Obstacles come in many forms, and your ability to achieve milestones in your business will depend on identifying these obstacles BEFORE they show up, and having a plan to get around them.

If you want to be successful and achieve specific milestones in your business, you’ll have to learn this invaluable skill.

7 .  Celebrate!

When you’ve done all your planning, envisioning, and you’ve rolled up your sleeves and done the work, you WILL achieve the milestones you’ve dreamed about.

And then it’s time to CELEBRATE!

Don’t forget this step.  It’s as important as any of the other steps in the process.

With this final step in mind, Rosemary and I are off to celebrate our milestone of our 100th blog post.

We will take the night off and celebrate our accomplishment… and reflect on how we got here.

Then tomorrow, it’s off to the next milestone!

Your Turn

What milestones do you have in your business?  Have you met them yet?

If not, are you on track?

Leave a comment and join in the discussion!