As a business owner, when you have a financial goal—like, “I want to bring in more revenue”—how do you proceed?
What do you do?
How do you set yourself up for success?
Most likely, your approach looks something like this:
1. You set a specific, measurable goal. “I want to earn an extra $30K in the next 30 days.”
2. You create a specific action plan and you commit fully. “I’m going to do XYZ every Monday at 10 a.m.”
3. You take classes and/or hire people who can help you. “I recognize some gaps in my knowledge, so I’m gonna hire smart people to help me out.”
4. You surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable. People who will not let you fail. People who will call you out on your bullshit if you’re procrastinating, whining, hiding, playing small, or giving up too easily.
5. You track your progress carefully. “Okay, we’re 15 days in, and I’ve earned $13K. Cool. I’m almost on track to reach my goal, but not quite. I need to dial things up a notch.
6. You review and adjust your plan as needed. “Here are some things I can tweak.”
7. And then, voila. You reach—or even exceed—your goal. “Yes! Goal: achieved!”
Those steps I just outlined?
You can use those exact same steps to achieve any kind of goal. A financial goal. Wellness goal. Creative goal. And yes, even a social justice goal—like fighting racism.
If you sincerely want to build an equitable, diverse, and anti-racist business, then you need to approach this issue the same way you would approach any other business objective.
You need to: Set a specific goal that can be measured. Create a specific action plan and commit. Hire people who can help. Find people who will hold you accountable. Track your progress. Review and adjust.
It’s actually not that complicated.
Here are 3 examples:
– “Goal: At this year’s conference, I will make sure at least 50% of our speakers are Black experts.”
– “Goal: When choosing contractors to help me with business projects, I will make sure to hire Black contractors at least 30% of the time.”
– “Goal: I will hire a consultant who specializes in diversity and equity in the workplace, and I’ll meet with them 4 times in the next 12 months to learn and improve as much as I can.”
People often feel like “fighting racism” and “being a strong ally” and “building a better world” is so overwhelming, daunting, and complicated.
I want to reiterate again: It’s not that complicated.
Tackle the issue of racism the same way you tackle any other challenge in your business.
Bring your creativity. Bring your willingness to learn. Bring your solution-focused mindset. Bring your determination to win.
Repeat after me:
“This does not need to feel so complicated.”
“I can do this. I must do this.”
“I am not confused.”
The era of being confused, overwhelmed, and inactive is over. Time’s up. Now is the time to get organized and make things happen. Your customers are watching. History is watching, too.
You know how to achieve goals. You’ve done it before. You already have all the necessary skills.
So use them.
xo,
R
PS. Earlier this week, I held a Town Hall meeting outlining specific ways that business owners can fight racism and build a better world. If you missed it, here’s the replay.
PPS. Over +1,700 business owners, freelancers, and solopreneurs have signed The Anti-racist Small Business Pledge, indicating their sincere commitment to building an equitable, anti-racist organization. Have you signed?
PPPS. We Should All Be Millionaires: The Club has re-opened for enrollment due to popular demand. You wrote to us. You said, “I want to earn more money than ever before. I want a Club where I truly belong. I want to hang out with high-level individuals and let the excellence and golden money-dust rub off on me. I want to make bank and make an impact on the world. I want IN!” We hear you, and we’ve answered the call. The doors are open. Come join the Club.
