How to Pick Your 2026 Business Goals in 2 Steps
A new year often inspires change, from new business ideas to setting yourself tasks to accomplish in the next few months. Let’s look at a goal-setting technique for 2026.
Step 1 – Think about the difference between short- and long-term goals.
Short-term goals focus on immediate tasks spanning days to a year for quick wins and operational needs. These goals can include sales milestones, attending or hosting events and trade shows, marketing, funding, and more.
Long-term goals span timelines of 3 to 10 years. They help you achieve a broader vision, like a business expansion, a new storefront, new product offerings, new hires, and more.
Why should you plan both?
Your short-term goals will likely build your foundation to help support your long-term goals. A long-term goal of finding a physical location for your business could be prefaced with sales goals, a funding goal to receive funding for a deposit and renovation costs, and a task to complete a business plan to help strategize the plan for the new location.
Step 2: Be SMART!
S.M.A.R.T. goals stand for the following:
- SPECIFIC: If your goals are too general, it won’t be clear to you or your team what the desired outcome is. Clearly define what you want to achieve. If you are working in a team, it may be important to include who is involved or responsible.
- MEASURABLE: Saying “get more sales” is a start, but how can you say you’ve completed a goal without a dollar amount associated with the goal?
- ACHIEVABLE: Your goals need to be something you can complete. Setting goals that are too lofty may discourage you. If you’re looking for quick wins, think of goals you can reasonably achieve in a short timeline.
- RELEVANT: It’s safe to say that your personal goals should be kept separate from your business goals. Pick goals that relate to your business and that can help set the building blocks for your long-term goals.
- TIME-BASED: Give yourself a deadline. By default, many of us are procrastinators. Giving yourself a set date for each goal will help you stay on track.
Goals can also be multi-part or have a few additional goals tied to them. Here are two examples of short-term SMART goals:
Marketing example: Post 1 video reel and 3 image-based posts on social media per month starting January 1st until July 1st, 2026. Reevaluate my social media plan by July 15th based on my social reach results.
Sales example: Attend 3 trade show events by June 1st, 2026, and connect and message at least 20 new people on LinkedIn as a result of these events.
Finally, try and prioritize your goals in order of importance and by start and completion dates. Be sure to check back often and make use of the different project management tools available to you to keep yourself on track.
Having a clear path for you, your team, and your business will help you achieve your business vision.
Author: Mélissa Deschênes
