Your goals should be clear and specific, so that you know exactly what you need to do in order to achieve them. For example, instead of setting a goal to "increase sales," set a goal to "increase sales by 15% within the next quarter." Think about exactly what you want to get out of your business, for many small business owners it's not all about the money. Running a small business can mean a better work-life balance for example, so perhaps you might want to hire your first staff member or outsource some work so there's less for you to do. Maybe you want to branch out and start selling more products, or have some ideas that you've been wanting to implement but havent got round to it yet. Think about it, and set goals based on what you want to do. 

Your goals should be measurable, so that you can track your progress and determine whether or not you have achieved them. This will also allow you to make adjustments as needed. Keeping good data enables you to do this, it's worth looking into small business software to quickly and efficiently track and measure everything and make it easy to understand at a glance. This could be anything from lease administration software if you manage real estate, to customer relationship software if you're in retail.

Your goals should be realistic and achievable. While it's important to aim high, setting unrealistic goals can be demotivating and can lead to a sense of failure. It can be useful to split up big goals into smaller ones and work your way up. 

Your goals should cover a variety of areas of your business, including sales, marketing, customer service, and operations. Categorise everything and write a list of goals for each area to make everything easier to manage and keep track of. 

Set a deadline for each goal so that you have a sense of urgency and can stay on track. Make it actionable, so that you have clear steps to follow in order to achieve your goals. Finally, Make sure to have a plan on how to reach your goal. While you may have to be flexible and extend your deadline later on, having that date in place gives you something to work towards and can keep you on track.

It's important to remember that goals are not static and you may need to adjust or re-evaluate them as your business changes and grows. In addition, it's essential to align your short term and long term goals and make sure that every decision and action taken in your business is aligned with the overall goal and vision of your company. It's also highly recommended that you regularly review your progress towards your goals and make adjustments as necessary. This will help you to stay on track and make any necessary changes to your strategy in order to achieve your goals.