Dubsado Vision Got You Here. Strategy Will Get You There: A Goal-Setting Guide for Small Business Owners
Annie Mosbacher here, Dubsado’s Chief Growth Officer.
I used to set goals for a living. Not for myself—for 50-100 person tech companies. Multiple layers of OKRs cascading down through teams. Quarterly business reviews. Weekly tracking dashboards. The whole nine yards.
Then I started my own business.
Suddenly it was just me and my business partner. Did we really need all that infrastructure? We tried setting goals once. They ended up on a shelf gathering dust while we were busy actually running the business.
But a year in, we realized we owed it to ourselves to do this right. So we set goals. We measured them. We checked in on them. And you know what? We substantially grew our business that year. And the next year. And the year after that.
If you're reading this, you might be exactly where I was.
You know goal-setting is probably important, but it feels overwhelming or unnecessary when it's just you. Here's what I've learned: Running your business without goals isn't "staying flexible." It's running a passive business where things happen TO you instead of because of you.
What actually happens without goals
Let me paint you a picture of what running a business without goals really looks like:
You're in reactive mode:
Hoping for inquiries instead of driving them
Accepting any project that comes your way, even low-budget or red flag clients you know you shouldn't take
No filter for what actually matters most
You can't make informed decisions:
It's March. You've made $40,000. Is that good? Bad? You literally don't know.
Should you panic and discount? Double down on marketing? You have nothing to measure against.
You're busy, but not productive:
Following every "best practice" without measuring if it works for YOUR business
Posting, networking, doing all the things
A year goes by... you're exhausted but not closer to your goals
The emotional toll? Constant low-grade anxiety. Never quite sure if things are okay. This isn't your fault. This is what happens when you don't have a roadmap.
What can get in the way of goal-setting
I've talked to enough small business owners to know there are some common hang-ups:
"I already know what I want" - Sure, but without breaking it down into something measurable, you can't make strategic decisions throughout the year. You're just hoping it works out.
"It feels too corporate" - Goal-setting for small businesses doesn't have to look like that. It can be as simple or loose as you need.
"I don't want to be locked in" - Good goals actually give you MORE flexibility, not less. They help you pivot strategically instead of reactively.
Setting goals isn't about becoming a different kind of business owner. It's about giving yourself tools to make better decisions with the limited time and energy you have.
A better way to think about goals
I use a framework adapted from OKRs... Objectives and Key Results. If that sounds too corporate, hear me out. This is actually one of the most flexible, small-business-friendly approaches I've found.
Here's why I love it: It's adaptable to ANY type of goal. It helps you connect big dreams to daily decisions. And most importantly, it gives you real-time feedback instead of waiting until December to see if you succeeded.
The core concept: Goals aren't just about WHERE you want to go. They're about knowing if you're ON THE RIGHT PATH while you're getting there.
The Two Parts of Effective Goal-Setting
Part 1: The Objective
Your objective is the big, exciting thing you want to accomplish. Think of it as your North Star... the thing that helps you prioritize when you're facing competing demands.
Your objective can be:
Quantitative: "Close $250K in sales this year"
Qualitative: "Become known for the best client experience in my field"
Operational: "Shift my business into second gear"
Simply by naming an objective, you create a filter for decision-making.
If your goal is best client experience, that might mean slowing down sales to focus on fewer clients. If your goal is hitting a revenue target, that might mean streamlining processes to serve MORE clients or focusing on higher-price services.
Without the objective clearly stated, you can't make these strategic choices.
Part 2: Key Results (the secret sauce)
Key Results are the measurable milestones that show you're making progress BEFORE you hit your end goal. This is where leading indicators become incredibly powerful.
Leading indicators are things you can measure and influence NOW that predict whether you'll hit your goal LATER. Not enough people focus on these, and they're honestly a game-changer.
Say you want to close $250K this year. You won't know if you achieved it until December 31st. How are you supposed to strategize in April when you've only made $40K?
Leading indicators for that $250K goal might look like:
Achieve $62.5K in sales each quarter (proves you're on track)
Generate 20 qualified leads per quarter (leads convert to sales)
Grow social media following by 10% each quarter (wider reach)
Launch automated email nurture sequence (supports conversion)
In April, if you've only made $40K but you've generated 25 leads and your following grew 12%, you can assess: Lead generation is working, but conversion might be the issue. Now you know what to focus on.
Or say your objective is qualitative: "Be known for the best client experience."
Your Key Results might be:
Achieve 90%+ satisfaction rating on post-project surveys
Receive 5+ client referrals per quarter
Launch post-project client survey (you need to create the measurement first)
Track satisfaction ratings for 3 months to establish baseline
That last one matters. You can't improve a number if you don't know where you're starting.
The three types of Key Results
Numeric/Measurable: Specific numbers you can track
Task-Based: Projects or actions you commit to completing
Baseline: Establishing where you are so you know what to improve
Here's the key: Your Key Results should include at least 2 different types. This gives you both numbers to measure AND actions to take. The mix is what makes this powerful.
The biggest mistake people make
The most common mistake? Confusing a to-do list with a strategy.
People write down tasks... post on Instagram 3x/week, send monthly newsletter, attend networking events... without any way to measure if those tasks are moving them toward their goal.
Here's why this is dangerous: You can spend all your time on tasks and still not understand if they're working. A year goes by and you haven't achieved your goals, even though you did everything you were "supposed" to do.
Tasks aren't bad. "Post on IG 3x/week" could be really meaningful. The problem is when tasks are ALL you have.
Tasks work great as Key Results, but they need to be connected to something measurable. "Post on IG 3x/week" works IF it's tied to "grow following by 10%" or "generate 20 leads per quarter."
Perfect vs. Good enough
Here's what you DON'T need:
Years of historical data
3-4 OKRs across different business areas
Formal quarterly reviews
Weekly measurement and reporting
Here's what "good enough" looks like:
ONE OKR that represents your biggest priority
Set for 6 months
Review bi-weekly or monthly
Post it where you'll see it regularly
Use it as your North Star for decisions
One clear, measurable goal that you actually USE beats a perfect plan that sits in a drawer.
And if it's April and you haven't started? Set your OKR for the rest of the year. The best time to set goals was January. The second-best time is right now.
Your turn: Build your OKR
Join me for a free live webinar Wednesday, February 4th at 10am PT, where I'll walk you through the exact approach I use to set short-term goals that actually stick—and show you how to track them so you know if you're on the right path.
The goal? Finish feeling confident, inspired, and ready to get to work. Your goal should be achievable but require you to stretch a little bit.
Take 60 minutes out of your week to attend so we can map out where you want your business to go in the next six months. Your future self will thank you.
What this actually gives you
When you set goals using this approach:
Instead of hoping things will work out, you're actively shaping outcomes.
Instead of wondering if you're on track, you have real-time feedback.
Instead of saying yes to everything, you have a filter for what matters.
Instead of exhausting yourself on the wrong things, you're focused on what moves the needle.
This is the difference between running a passive business and running an active one.
You don't need a 50-page business plan. You don't need years of data. You don't need an MBA.
You just need one clear objective and a handful of ways to measure progress.
So if you haven't set goals yet this year, or if they're gathering dust, start here. Start now. Start with one.
Your business (and your future self) will thank you.
