Why Most Business Goals Don’t Work – and What to Do Instead

Most business owners start the year with the best of intentions. They talk about growth, scaling, reaching 7 figures, or building a team. But fast-forward six months, and they’re overwhelmed, off-track, or simply stuck. The goals they set? Forgotten. The plan? Gone. And the results? Nowhere near what they’d hoped.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. But it’s also not inevitable.

There’s a reason why most business goals don’t work. And once you understand what’s going wrong, you can change the way you set goals, stick to them, and start seeing real progress. Not just more busywork.

In this post, we’ll explore exactly why goals fail and what to do instead. If you're serious about building a business that works for you, not the other way around, this is where it starts.

The Problem: Why Most Business Goals Don’t Work

Let’s be honest. Most business goals aren’t really goals at all. They’re vague intentions dressed up as ambition.

You’ve probably heard these before or even said them yourself:

“I want to grow the business this year.”

“I want to hit 7 figures.”

“I want to build the team.”

The problem isn’t the vision. It’s the structure. These types of goals don’t give your brain or your business any direction. There’s no clarity, no timeframe, and no way to measure whether you’re even moving in the right direction.

What tends to happen is this: you set the goal in January, forget about it by March, and find yourself firefighting by June. Without regular check-ins, it’s far too easy to veer off course. A new opportunity comes along, a client demand shifts your focus, or something in your personal life takes priority, and suddenly you’re miles away from the path you thought you were on.

Here’s the hard truth. If you don’t keep your goals visible and structured, they don’t just fade. They actively hold you back. Because deep down, you start to lose confidence in your ability to follow through. And that undermines everything.

A Personal Perspective: What Goals Can Look Like When They Work

Let me give you an example, not from business, but from my personal life.

Earlier this year, I set some very clear goals around my health. I wanted to lose weight, feel more energised, and be more consistent with my exercise. But instead of just saying, “I want to get fitter,” I got specific.

I committed to exercising four times per week. That included running once or twice per week, a boxing class, body combat, and strength training. I set a specific weight goal target and timeline.

I didn’t just think about these goals. I wrote them down. I tracked my progress. I kept reminding myself of what I wanted and why it mattered.

The result? I’ve lost weight. I feel more energised. My focus has improved, and not just at the gym. I’m sharper in my business. I’ve got more headspace. And it all started with clear, measurable, achievable goals that I stuck to.

That’s the power of proper goal setting. And the same applies to your business.

The Real Goal Is Clarity

When you set goals in your business, what you’re really doing is giving yourself clarity.

You’re deciding what matters most. You’re cutting through the noise of day-to-day demands. And you’re choosing to take control of the direction you’re heading in, rather than being pulled by whatever’s loudest or most urgent.

Clarity gives you confidence. It helps you make decisions faster. It helps you say no to things that aren’t aligned. And most importantly, it gives you something to measure against. You can’t improve what you’re not tracking.

But clarity doesn’t just happen. You have to create it deliberately.

How to Set Goals for Your Business (That Actually Work)

This is where most business owners go wrong. They think the goal is the outcome, when in fact, the goal is the structure that gets you to the outcome.

So if you’re serious about setting goals that work, start here:

1. Be specific
“Grow the business” is too vague. What exactly do you want to grow? Revenue? Profit? Client numbers? And by how much?

2. Set a timeframe
Without a deadline, there’s no urgency. Whether it’s 90 days or 12 months, commit to a timeframe and work backwards.

3. Break it down
Big goals need to be broken into smaller, manageable actions. What needs to happen monthly, weekly, and daily?

4. Write it down
This isn’t optional. Goals that stay in your head are not goals. They’re wishes. Get them down on paper or in a digital tracker you use.

5. Review and recalibrate
You need a system for checking in with your goals. Whether it’s weekly or monthly, review your progress. Are you on track? What needs adjusting?

6. Connect your goals to your ‘why’
The goals you’re more likely to follow through on are the ones that mean something to you. Tie them to the bigger picture — your vision, your values, and your reason for being in business in the first place.

Your Goals Need a Plan, Not Just Good Intentions

This is why the Business Planning pillar of The Business Fixer Toolkit is so important.

It’s not just about setting ambitious goals. It’s about having a structure that turns those goals into a clear Business Growth Plan. A plan that takes your long-term vision and turns it into practical, trackable actions that move the needle every month.

When you get this right, everything changes. You stop feeling reactive. You stop chasing shiny objects. And you start to see progress you can measure, not just hope for.

Stop Setting and Forgetting and Start Building Momentum

Your goals don’t need to be perfect. But they do need to be present.

If you’re only looking at them once a year, or worse, setting them and then forgetting them altogether, you’re not really leading the business. You’re letting it lead you.

And that’s not what you built it for.

Imagine what could happen if you brought the same level of clarity and commitment to your business goals as I brought to my personal health. Imagine how much further ahead you’d be if you stayed on track, reviewed your progress regularly, and gave yourself permission to adjust course without abandoning ship.

You’d be in control. You’d be focused. You’d be making decisions with confidence. And you’d start seeing real results, not just effort.

Want Help Turning Goals into Real Progress?

If you’re tired of setting goals that don’t stick, and you’re ready to create real structure, accountability, and clarity in your business, the Kick Start Business Performance Membership is the next step.

Inside, we’ll help you put the right foundations in place — including how to set goals for your business that you actually follow through on.

👉 Join the Kick Start Membership now

You are just one decision away from taking back control.



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