Today, I’m going to show you how to write SMART goals you can actually hit.
Why it deeply matters:
- When your goals are clear, you move faster and stay in control of your workload.
- You stop reacting and start directing outcomes.
- You avoid busywork, make decisions with confidence, and focus only on the actions that turn your daily work into revenue.
Too many founders write goals that sound good but don’t actually guide their work.
→ They’re vague.
→ They’re impossible to measure.
→ They don’t drive execution OR revenue.
And then we wonder why performance drops, deadlines slip, and teams get frustrated.
Today, we’re fixing all that.
No hacks, no complicated management theory, just a clear, simple way to write SMART goals you can actually hit.
Goals that remove guesswork, create clarity, and make your day-to-day work easier — so you actually get shit done.
A well-written SMART goal helps you:
- Stay aligned with team and company priorities
- Know exactly what “good performance” looks like
- Track progress without confusion or micromanagement
- Focus on the work that actually moves outcomes
If that feels like the clarity you’ve been missing, you’re in the right place.
By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly how to write SMART goals that work… every single time.
Hard Work Isn’t Enough
You don’t miss goals from lack of discipline.
Your goals weren’t real goals — just wishes.
SMART goals give you clarity on:
• The outcome you're aiming at
• How to measure progress
• What aligns with priorities
• The deadlines that keep momentum steady
Fix the vague goals.
Write goals that guide action.
How to Write Your SMART Goal the Easy Way
Here’s the exact 5-step Revenue-First SMART pass I use with clients (and in my own business) to turn vague ideas into 30–60 day income goals you can execute on this week.
You’ll use it on one revenue lever at a time (clients, course sales, retainers, or productized offers), and capture everything in a single page (Notion, ClickUp, Google Doc) with five sections: S, M, A, R, T.
S – Specific
This is your revenue mission statement.
Be painfully clear about what you want to earn and the mechanism that will create it.
For solo creators, that means answering:
- What revenue lever am I pulling?
- What exact system or offer will create that revenue?
- Who is it for?
- Where will it happen?
Action to fill in your doc:
Write 1 clear sentence:
“Launch a [channel] system to sell [specific offer] to [specific audience].”
M – Measurable
If it doesn’t tie to numbers, it doesn’t guide your day.
Pick 1–2 core numbers that directly connect to revenue and decide where you’ll track them:
- Output metrics: posts, DMs sent, emails sent, calls booked
- Outcome metrics: leads, sales, revenue, MRR, conversion rate
Tracking sources: Stripe, ThriveCart, Gumroad, Airtable, Notion, Google Sheets.
Action to fill in your doc:
Write a small metric block, for example:
“Goal: 10 sales calls and $2,000 in revenue in 30 days, tracked in Stripe + an Airtable ‘Revenue Sprint’ table.”
A – Achievable
The goal should stretch you — not break you.
Pressure-test it against your:
- Time
- Assets (audience, content, offers, list)
- Gaps you can solve fast (checkout, Calendly, Carrd page)
- Realistic minimum you’d actually bet on hitting
Action to fill in your doc:
Add 1–2 sentences:
“With [X] hours per week and my current audience, hitting [realistic target] is achievable. Anything above that is upside.”
R – Relevant
The goal must move you toward your actual endgame (replacing traditional income with a solo system).
Check:
- Does this help me hit $2–5k/month (starter) or push toward $10k+/month (scaler)?
- Does it build a repeatable system, not a one-off win?
- Does it strengthen what I want to be known for?
If the answer is “no,” it’s a distraction — even if it looks productive.
Action to fill in your doc:
Write 1–2 lines:
“This goal builds a repeatable system for selling my core offer and moves me closer to a stable $[target]/month baseline. If it doesn’t, I’ll adjust the goal until it directly supports my income engine.”
T – Time-Bound
Deadlines turn this from a wish into a sprint.
Define:
- Overall window: 30 or 60 days
-
Weekly checkpoints:
- Week 1: assets + setup
- Week 2–3: promotion + outreach
- Final week: follow-ups + optimization
- Review cadence: weekly 15–20 min update
Action to fill in your doc:
Add a mini timeline:
“Run this as a 30-day sprint with a 15-minute review every Friday to update metrics and adjust actions.”
How to Run This as a Mini System
Create one page titled "30-Day Revenue Goal" with five headings:
S, M, A, R, T.
Fill in the action lines from each section above.
Or use this AI prompt to build it in 10 minutes (you know I got you):
SMART GOAL AI Prompt
I need to write a revenue-focused SMART goal for my solo business. Help me create a 30-day sprint goal by asking me questions for each section: Specific (revenue lever, offer, audience), Measurable (key metrics to track), Achievable (time/assets available), Relevant (does it move me toward $[X]/month), and Time-Bound (30 or 60-day window with weekly checkpoints). Push back if my answers are vague - make me name specific numbers, tools, and offers. Format the final goal in a single-page doc I can execute from.