As the year unfolds, business owners should not just work hard, they must work smart with SMARTEY goals that deliver excellent results.
One of the major reasons business owners struggle to see real growth is that they set vague, shallow, and unrealistic goals. Many desire success, but desire alone is not enough. Achieving business goals require intentionality and structured planning. That’s why I want to introduce you to a powerful approach that can totally change how you plan your business goals in 2025 and beyond. This approach is called SMARTEY. SMARTEY is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Evaluated, and Yield-driven. This approach works for every category of persons – whether you’re just starting out, or you’ve been in business for years.
S – Specific: Your business goal must be clear, intentional, and easy to understand. It’s not enough to say, “I just want to grow my business.” That’s vague. What does growth mean to you – sales, visibility, profit? How much of it, and in what area? For example, instead of saying, “I want more customers in 2025,” you could say: “I want to attract 20 new female customers in April through WhatsApp marketing.” The second statem points directly to who, when, and how, and is more actionable. That’s what it means to be specific. In your business, clarity is important for success. Lack of specificity makes a business owner simply chase shadows and celebrate busyness instead of productivity.
M – Measurable: If you can’t measure your business’ progress, how will you know you’re growing? Every business goal should have measurable elements – something you can count or track. Ask yourself, “How will I know that I’m moving forward?” If there’s no way to measure it, it’s not yet a complete goal. You measure your business goals with “how much…”, “how often…”, or “how many…” For example: saying “I want to post 3 product videos every week of April on my business WhatsApp status.” Means that you’re measuring how often you are able to post your product videos on social media in April. Now, if you only post 2 videos in the first week, you instantly know you fell short, and need to do better the following week. Measurability keeps you accountable and helps you identify gaps.
A – Achievable:
Let me be honest with you here – some of us dream too big without preparing well. I’ve made that mistake before. Ambitious dreams are fantastic, but only work where realism is applied. A business owner’s goals should match the current level of resources, capacity, and experience of the owner? Imagine this: you just started selling hair accessories in January, and by July, you say you want to be exporting globally. Is that achievable within six months with your current setup? Probably not. Instead, setting a smaller goal first like, “I want to sell to 5 new states outside mine between April and June.” makes it more realistic and still pushes you towards the bigger dream. In setting goals, a business owner must ask the question: “Can I really achieve this goal with what I have right now?” If the answer is “No,” then the next step is to break it down into smaller chunks. Business growth is a marathon, not a sprint.
R – Relevant: This one is powerful. Your business goals must align with your business vision. If you want to run a fashion accessories brand for urban ladies, and someone tells you to start selling skincare because it’s trending, pause and ask: “Is this really in line with my long-term vision?” Trends are great, and yes, I always encourage business owners to leverage trends. But not all trends are meant for you. Relevance means your goals must make sense for you, your brand, and your customers. Many business owners waste time doing things that aren’t connected to their dream. So, before you jump on that latest challenge, or introduce a new product, ask yourself: “Does this move me closer to my business dream?”
T – Time-bound: Time is a very important tool in goal-setting. Without setting a timeframe, your goals become nothing but empty wishes. Your business goal must have a “by when” attached to it. In simple terms, when do you want that goal to have been fully achieved? For instance, instead of saying: “I want to increase my Instagram followers”, you could say: “I want to grow my Instagram page by 1,000 followers by July 15th.” That date gives your goal life. It sets urgency and helps you plan your strategies. Whether it’s a one-week goal, one-month goal, or one-year goal – put a timeframe to it. This will help you measure your success and adjust quickly when necessary.
E – Evaluated: Setting goals is good, but tracking and evaluating them is even better. Every week or month, sit down with your goal and ask yourself: “What worked?” “What didn’t work?” “Why didn’t I meet this target?” “What should I adjust or remove?” or “Did I allow distractions or weaknesses to sabotage my efforts?” Evaluation gives you clarity on your growth process. It tells you what to stop, what to continue, and what to improve. And if you can’t do this alone, get a coach or accountability partner to guide you through your evaluations. I always tell business owners – the goal is not just to work hard, but to work smart. Evaluating your goals regularly helps you work smart.
Y – Yield-driven: Finally, your goals must yield something. What is the expected outcome of that goal? Visibility? Sales? Clients? Referrals? Partnerships? There must be a harvest. If not, the goal becomes an activity, not a strategy. Always ask yourself: “What do I want this goal to produce for my business?” If your goal is to collaborate with influencers, what is the yield? Is it for more brand awareness, or more sales, or something else? If your goal is to post daily on Facebook, what is the expected outcome? Do you want it to yield engagement, or traffic, or conversion? When your goal is yield-driven, you don’t just do things for the sake of doing – you consciously expect results, and that expectation shapes how you plan and evaluate.
In conclusion, running a business is not guesswork. It demands structure, systems, and intentionality. The SMARTEY framework enabled business owners move from mere business activities to meaningful productivity. Business owners who need exceptional results in 2025 must give attention to setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, evaluated, and yield-driven. The SMARTEY framework helps business owners move from being busy to productive. The future of a business is not a mystery, but the result of the goals set today.
Phebe Ejinkeonye-Christian, a certified Life Coach and Business Educator who helps business owners design result-oriented lives and businesses is the CEO of Phebeon Consulting and Media Solutions Ltd., Enugu state, Nigeria. +234(0)708-048-0510, [email protected]
