If you do this one thing, you cannot fail.

Back in my days as a Fortune 100 financial advisor, that’s exactly what I was promised. And for five years I thought about that one thing each and every year when I was setting my goals, yet year after year I fell short.

What I couldn’t put into words then, I understand now: I didn’t achieve that one thing because I wasn’t willing to do what it took to get there.  

I didn’t (and still don’t) value the same things corporate America asked me to value.

My Business Mindset started to change when I truly asked myself: What does success look like to me?

In the corporate world it felt like the one perk I was supposed to want: was “more”. More money, more fame, more recognition.

Recognition sounds nice. Hello, Achiever. And I’ve been known to drop some Benjamins on nice home decor …but those perks meant nothing if I didn’t also have afternoons at the park with friends or 4:30 gym dates with Kyle.

Can you truly build a thriving business that aligns with your personal life values? Or do you have to do what everyone else is doing?

Here’s what I’ve come to learn in my 15 years working in finance and getting a behind the scenes look into thousands of businesses.

There is no “one right way” to build a business.

In fact, I believe that no two businesses should look the same because no two business owners are the same. 

While yes, there are absolutely key financial and business principles every business owner needs to know to build a thriving business (I call these the 6 building blocks and I teach them all inside my signature program, The Blueprint Model)…

>>>  your hopes, dreams, life values and financial goals should all shape the business you’re building. <<<

It is absolutely possible to build a thriving business on your own terms!

Here’s how:

How to Define Enough & Set Meaningful Goals as an Entrepreneur.

1. Name Your Values in this season 

What are your life and business priorities in this season? Where do you want your time and attention to go? What do you value? What kind of person do you want to be?

Right now I have a ten month old baby and childcare just three days a week. This gives me about 20 hours a week to commit to work. I want to be a present mom in my non-working hours, and an incredible business woman during working hours. I want to be a friend who remembers birthdays and sends a casserole when life is hard.

I can take on more work and have less time with Madelyn or I can take on less work and have more time with Madelyn.

WE ALL MUST NAME OUR VALUES IN THIS SEASON. 

These values become parameters for my work. As I teach in my signature program, The Blueprint Model, we all have a bank of time. In this season I have set aside 20 hours a week to work, that’s the number of hours that is manageable with my other life priorities. That is my time deposit. When I work, I withdraw hours from my time bank. And when/if my time bank gets overdrawn, that’s when things feel out of balance.

2. Know your Financial Need & Goals. What is enough?

Talk to any of my students and they’ll probably tell you my philosophy of “defining enough” changed their businesses and, for many, their lives.

We live in a more world, and choosing “enough” feels counter-cultural.

For a long time I didn’t know how powerful this idea of “defining enough” really was. In fact, I actually felt ashamed to share my business philosophy, as the concept of  “enough” felt like a cop-out for lack of ambition or laziness.

But I now know that “enough” is the place where abundance and contentment meet. It’s that elusive feeling of balance we all so desperately desire; knowing we’ve put what matters most in the right order.

HOW TO CALCULATE “ENOUGH”: YOUR NEED

Your Personal Salary Need

+ Quarterly bonuses

+ Tax Savings

+ Annual Business Overhead

+ Cost of Goods

= Sales Need “Enough”

Example:

$10,000/mo salary

+ $20,000/ per quarter bonus

+ $60,000 taxes

+ $50,000 overhead

+ $40,000 project costs

= $350,000 Sales Need

This is our need, not our goal. Knowing the bare bones minimum gives me peace of mind.

This tells me no matter what I have to generate $350,000 in revenue to hit our minimum sales need. That is “enough”. Knowing this number allows me to pivot if things don’t go exactly as I had hoped or imagined (ahem, global pandemic 🙃 ), or if I simply need to slow down and get more rest.

3. Create a Money Plan.

Once I calculate my need (ps. I set sales numbers at three levels “need, want, and reach for the stars” a strategy I teach inside The Blueprint Model), I break down that big sales number into bite-sized pieces called a “money plan” to make that big number feel more manageable.

This money plan includes: how many clients I need to take on at what price-point (revenue plan), a spending plan for overhead expenses (budget), and a breakdown of how much each project/service/offer will cost us to produce.

For Example: How many Clients to hit $350k in sales?

1. 2 clients on average per month or $7,000 in revenue per month from 1:1 clients (I take on clients 8 months out of the year) : $56,000
2. I need approx 150 students to join The Blueprint Model at $1997 = $300,000 in sales

Totals = $350,000 Sales Need

This makes that big number feel more manageable by focusing on weekly, monthly, or per launch goals.

4. Make the Plan & then Work the Plan.

Years ago I told one of my clients to “Make the plan, and then work the plan” and it stuck! It’s now something I teach all my students. Naming every dollar, and creating an overarching money plan for the year (fancy name: Financial Forecast) gives me a guide. I know as long as I hit my sales goal and stay within my spending budgets we will always have enough!

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I think you and I are probably pretty similar. Fame, Recognition, Money… all that is nice. But we want a business that affords us the life we want. That all starts here: Defining Enough.

Here to help if you need me!

Shanna

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