Catch up on some related episodes:

How to figure out what's a priority (when everything feels like a priority)

Today’s talking points:

Do you find yourself setting goals and then instantly forgetting about them? Let me show you exactly how you can strategically turn your goals into actionable plans.

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Welcome to part two of a brand new series of the podcast: How To Run Your Business Like a BOSS!

If you're anything like me, the new year feels like a fresh start, a blank slate, and a new chance to go after those big amazing goals for our lives and our business.

But if the ups and downs of entrepreneurship have taught us anything, it’s this: our plans need to be adaptable and adjustable.

That's why I absolutely love turning my big business goals for the year into actionable checkoffable 90-day plans - which is what we’re talking about today.

How do you dig in and start creating 90-day plans for more momentum in your business?

We’re going to cover:

Why 90 day plans are so powerful and the intention behind them
The 3 key systems you need to have in place in your business (& how to implement them)
The difference between habit-based goals and outcome-based goals as we map out our 90 day plans
Questions to ask yourself when it comes to breaking down the action steps for each goal
How to create a 30-60-90 plan to hold you accountable so you can see real momentum and progress

Keep bossing it.

the Power 90-day goals

So you might be wondering about my obsession with 90-day plans. I can almost hear you saying, "Come on, not another spiel about 90-day planning!" I get it. Truth is, I'm just like you. As ambitious business owners, we thrive on setting big, juicy goals. Dreaming big about the next 2-5 or even 10 years comes naturally. But let's face it, those grand goals can quickly become overwhelming. Dreaming into the unknowns of five or ten years, or even just peering into the end of 2024, can trigger that familiar feeling of being lost and overwhelmed.

That's how I define overwhelm anyway. It's not just having too much to do; it's not knowing where to start. Often, we dive into everything, hoping something will stick and magically catapult our business. Personally, I'm not a fan of hustling my way to goals. I'd rather be strategic and sustainable, breaking down those audacious goals into manageable milestones.

This 90-day approach isn't just a whim; it's backed by science and studies showing its effectiveness. I like to think of these 90-day chunks as 12-week sprints toward the next milestone on my journey. Implementing my triple-threat method of quarterly, monthly, and weekly planning builds momentum, stacking up results quarter after quarter. The flexibility of 90-day plans allows us to be agile and nimble, adapting and adjusting as needed.

Business and life change often and experienced owners know the importance of resilience. 90-day plans help businesses navigate uncertainties, making it easier to get back on track towards their goals.

Let me give you an example, I’m going to break down a typical 12-month goal into a 90-day milestone.

So a common goal among my clients – building a new offer, like a course or group program to scale beyond one-to-one services. This goal often stays on the back burner because it’s complex. Planning content, creating resources, marketing, and making sales can be overwhelming, especially when juggling an existing business.

So, in this example you could spend the first 90 days, focusing on research and planning, understanding your audience's needs. Map out the curriculum and content in the next quarter, creating the course materials. Move to marketing and launching in the third quarter, using various content platforms for a successful enrollment period. Finally, dedicate the last quarter to delivering the program and ensuring it meets your client's needs.

Yes, a year might seem like a long timeframe, but it’s realistic considering the constraints of an actively running business. Of course, you can move faster if you have the bandwidth. Maybe you opt to pre-sell the program, testing the idea before creating the content. The key is finding what works best for you – understanding your strengths and resources.

Breaking down big 12-month goals into 90-day plans is about making it manageable within your current availability. It's about making meaningful progress with the time, energy, and resources you have available.

Starting something new, and pursuing an unfamiliar goal is challenging. That's where tapping into someone else's experience becomes a power move. Their insights into the time required and the steps needed can be invaluable shortcuts in your business journey.

the three systems you need

If your goal is to sustainably scale your business, you want to make sure you start off by having three key systems in place: your marketing system, your sales system, and your delivery system.

I talk about this a lot - my five-part framework - and it will make such a massive difference in your business.

The first step in this process is to "attract." This involves getting your business in front of new people who are unfamiliar with your brand or offers. Three effective ways to achieve this are through search engine optimisation (SEO), leveraging other people's audiences, and using paid advertising. While SEO is a long-term strategy, other people's audiences and advertising offer more immediate results. When setting your attract goal for the year, choose one strategy to commit to fully.

Moving on to "engage”. If your attract goal is to be interviewed on podcasts, then you need to consider that after potential clients hear you on a podcast, they're likely to check your website. Offering them a free resource in exchange for their contact information is an essential l step in building a relationship. Make sure you design an engage system that facilitates this process, ensuring potential clients take steps toward learning more about your work.

The third step is "nurture." This is about consistently reaching out to those who already know you, building the know, like, and trust factors. Nurture marketing helps prepare potential clients to make informed buying decisions. Ensure you have a solid nurture system in place, with high-quality content that educates and showcases your expertise.

Moving beyond marketing, the fourth step is to "invite." This involves making the ask and inviting people to become paying clients. Establish clear goals for when and how you invite people to work with you. Whether through quarterly program enrollments or booking discovery calls, outline a systematic process to guide potential clients through each step.

The final step, "delight," is often overlooked but vital for referrals and repeat business. Plan how you will deliver an outstanding customer experience, exceeding expectations and making your service buzzworthy. Document clear workflows, communication touchpoints, and check-ins to ensure a consistent delight system for every paying client.

As you set your 12-month goals, align them with these five core systems: attract, engage, nurture, invite, and delight. Prioritise creating and optimising these systems before diving into other creative projects.

This strategic approach has proven key to scaling businesses sustainably. Once these core strategies are in place, you can confidently embark on other exciting ventures, knowing you've built a foundation for long-term success.

Finally, break down your 12-month goals into 90-day goals to create actionable steps for tangible progress.

the difference between habit-based goals and outcome-based goals

habit based

Some of your goals will be process goals, often referred to as habit-based goals because they involve working on the systems you've created.

For instance, my primary nurture goal is my weekly podcast. I consistently publish one episode every week throughout the year. This is a habit-based goal, a recurring process that can be easily chunked down into 90-day increments. With 52 episodes a year, I can easily set quarterly milestones, i.e. publishing a specific number of episodes.

outcome based

Once these habit goals become rinse and repeat, freeing up bandwidth and time, you can introduce a different type of goal – project goals, also known as outcome-based goals. These involve working on specific projects with defined outcomes.

For instance, creating a new group program is an outcome-based goal, broken down into smaller portions across each quarter: Q1 for research and planning, Q2 for program content creation, Q3 for marketing and selling, and Q4 for program delivery. Once the project is complete, you've achieved the outcome and can rinse and repeat the process.

You want to have a rinse-and-repeat marketing and sales system, encompassing attract, engage, nurture, invite, and delight, before adding outcome-based goals. The lack of such systems is where many business owners go wrong and get stuck because they don't put those types of systems in place. Then they keep dropping the ball, which means they hit dry spells, they hit the feast or famine, they slow down, or they are sitting there under this revenue plateau that they can't break free from because nothing is running behind the scenes to keep that business moving forward.

Establishing these systems ensures continuous momentum and business growth. So, when documenting your 90-day goals, ensure you've included these strategic systems.

ask yourself these questions

If you're tackling these tasks for the first time, you are doing the hard work upfront by establishing the necessary systems first. You do need to ask yourself some questions as you figure out all of these specific action steps for your 90-day goals.

So, for each goal, you might ask yourself:

What support do I need? Is assistance required, and should I outsource or delegate tasks? Do I need to consider hiring someone?
Is this something I'm familiar with? Do I need to conduct research, read relevant material, or attend training to acquire the necessary knowledge? Should I consider hiring a mentor or coach to guide me through the process?
Are there specific tools or technologies necessary for achieving this goal?
Do I need to upgrade my habits to align with this goal?
What additional elements should I put in place to ensure I have the time, energy, and resources to achieve this goal?
What systems or processes need implementation to achieve this goal?

Addressing these questions from various perspectives helps anticipate and prevent challenges during the execution. And honestly, this is where working with an experienced coach and mentor can make such a massive impact.

In my personal process, I sit down with my goals, answer these questions, and list every conceivable action step required to achieve each goal. After this brainstorming session, the next step involves editing and transferring the tasks to a project management system or planner. I call this your 30-60-90.

the 30-60-90 plan!

The 30-60-90 process is the first step in outlining action steps within a 90-day timeline, assigning deadlines to each step. So the 30-60-90 process is extremely helpful as it prevents the common pitfall of overwhelming yourself by attempting to tackle everything in the initial weeks. The danger of feeling behind schedule in week two or three often leads to the temptation to give up. We want to avoid that, boss. We're not going to chase ourselves, we're not going to set a goal of running a marathon and then end up on week one and run a marathon in week one, no. We're gonna get up and try and do our first mile. We have to pace ourselves as we go after our goals otherwise, we will burn out. And we don't want to do that.

Before diving into the 30-60-90 breakdown, I take a moment to ask additional questions. It's essential to recognise that, as we pursue 90-day goals, our business must continue running smoothly. Marketing efforts, sales, and client care are ongoing responsibilities that need our attention. To make sure they run smoothly, you can ask specific questions to fine-tune how you are going to put a timeline together for the specific action steps.

Here are the questions I would ask yourself:

What time off do I need? Prioritise self-care and schedule breaks to maintain mental and physical well-being.
What are my sales goals for each month? Define what you're selling and how you're selling it, ensuring consistency and clarity in your approach.
How will I structure my marketing efforts in the next 30, 60, and 90 days? Outline the actions for attracting, engaging, and nurturing in alignment with your overall marketing strategy.

The 30-60-90 breakdown for sales and marketing goals involves considering what you are selling each month and planning your marketing actions accordingly. Overshooting your sales goals slightly can be beneficial, as it allows for flexibility during months with fewer sales opportunities.

For creative projects, such as developing a group program, the 30-60-90 breakdown involves staggered tasks. For example, in the first 30 days, you could focus on client interviews and research, while the next 30 days are dedicated to analysing data and identifying key themes. By the last 30 days, momentum is built, allowing you to finalise plans, create materials, and launch the project.

Ultimately, the 30-60-90 process, along with the detailed breakdown of sales and marketing actions, serves as a roadmap to guide your priorities month by month. You’ll find you have the momentum to actually do what you need.

let’s recap

So, there you have it – a condensed masterclass that is the essence of what we will be doing together at our quarterly boss retreats as part of the Embodied Boss Collective.

The one thing that I want to finish with is the biggest thing – it’s that there’s no magic to this. The key revelation often surprises people when they shift their focus from aspirational goals to committed action steps aligned with their overall strategy. Consistently implementing this five-part framework – attract, engage, nurture, invite, and delight – leads to consistent clients, cash flow, and real momentum, all supported by scalable systems.

Mic drop. It works, boss.

P.S. Here is last weeks episode, the first part of the ‘How To Run Your Business Like a BOSS’ series, in case you missed it - How to reconnect & realign with your big business vision