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16 Steps to Starting a Business While Working Full Time — STEP 3: Goal Setting and Planning
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April 29, 2022
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Notebook on table with "GOALS" written across the top

Starting your business while working full-time can feel overwhelming. There’s always so much to do!  But it is possible to achieve everything you need to do to succeed in both your day job and your new business.

The key to business success is planning ahead by setting attainable goals.

In step 2 of the “16 Steps to Starting a Business While Working Full Time,” you learned how to write a business plan. Once you’ve written your plan, it’s time to put it to work. The goals you set for sales, brand awareness, and profitability will help you guide your action steps in the early days of your budding enterprise.

Break tasks into smaller parts to make them manageable

To keep your many goals from becoming overwhelming, break tasks into smaller parts.

For example, your business needs a website. If you dive into that task on a Saturday morning before the kids are up, you might find yourself knee-deep in the project — and frustrated with your progress — when they rush into the kitchen for breakfast.

Instead, break the task of “creating a website” down into subtasks like this:

  • Choose a domain name
  • Register your domain name
  • Find a web hosting company
  • Research web designers or templates to create your website
  • Determine the elements you’ll add to your website, like an “About Us” page or eCommerce options

Still feeling overwhelmed? Break it down further. Choosing a domain name could include smaller tasks like brainstorming domain name ideas, asking friends and family for feedback, researching which names are available, and considering the costs of the available domain names.

No task is too small — really!

Don’t worry if your tasks seem too simple or small. Creating tasks you can complete quickly will give you a feeling of accomplishment and help push you forward.

As you develop your goals and plan the tasks involved to launch your business, grab your calendar and determine a launch timeline for your business. Be realistic, but continue to push yourself forward by completing your smaller tasks that build up to accomplishing big goals. Your SCORE mentor can help you develop a realistic timeline and keep you on track!

Setting a launch timeline with actionable goals will help you focus on moving forward to achieve your business dreams. Read the remaining steps to entrepreneurship in the “16 Steps to Starting a Business While Working Full Time” guide to help you realize the dream of business ownership. Remember that you don’t have to go on this journey alone. Connect with a free business mentor at SCORE. Good luck on your exciting endeavor!

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