Business coach claims setting financial goal can be a huge mistake for small business owners

CHICAGO - Jan. 21, 2014 - PRLog -- It is common knowledge that setting new goals is important but business and marketing coach, Victoria Cook of Chicago IL has a completely opposite point of view. “Setting business goals can be the biggest mistake a woman business owner can make,” claims Cook. “Having financial goals for your business will not only make it challenging to achieve those goals, it could also negatively affect your entire life,” Cook explains of her shocking and contrarian position.

Many women business owners’ goals for 2014 are simply to make more money. In Cook’s experience, focusing only on financial targets often leads to fear, frustration, poor client service, and less joy for business owners. In order for business owners to achieve their desired targets, they need the right goals AND motivation to get there.

“Just as goals have an effect on motivation, motivation has an important effect on goal attainment,” according to Matt McKay, Demand Media. Cooks agrees and notes her clients have struck a good balance between their goals and motivation by incorporating their personal purpose in their goal setting. Business owners who align their purpose and vocation find strong motivation for success, achieve more of their milestones and goals, and experience an overall greater sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Living and working with greater purpose leads to feelings of energy, power, confidence, balance, fun, and freedom, and ultimately greater success. “Living purposefully includes aligning ones unique talents and gifts with the impact they bring to community and world around them and how fulfilling that makes them feel,” says Cook.  “When lived purposefully, life is inherently fulfilling. Purpose is the single most important motivator in a person’s life. Being on purpose is being true to one’s core.”

Cook suggests that when setting and working toward business goals for 2014 incorporate that sense of purpose. Business owners can think about why they are doing what you do…other than for profits. It is helpful to ask ones self, “How does my service improve the lives of those in my community and with whom I work, and how can I be purposeful in the pursuit of my business goals?” Cook once worked with a health coach whose goal was to make an extra $10,000 more that year than the previous. It was certainly a SMART goal (specific, measurable, achievable, rewarding and time-based) but it wasn’t inspiring and didn’t feel purposeful. When Cook looked deeper at her client’s purpose it was to help positively impact the health of those around her (whether she worked with them or not). Instead of writing her goal as “Earn $10,000 more this year than last” Cook helped her client restructure the goal to be “Help improve the health and well-being of 15 new clients this year.” This goal would still result in the extra income her client desired. Instead of the goal feeling like something on her client’s to-do list waiting to be checked off, the health coach was excited each day to get to her office and find the next person with whom she could partner on improving their health.

Cook recommends that small business owner bringing that sense of purpose into their 2014 business goals because that will not only help power their goals but also makes them more magnetic.  Cook further notes that a sense of purpose is one of the keys to living a fulfilling, guilt-free life.

Looking to uncover your purpose? On January 31, 2014 McHenry County women business-owners can meet with Victoria Cook to mastermind and collaborate at Roots Education Center at 9 Crystal Lake Road, Suite 100, Lake in the Hills. Cook will also share an exercise designed to help participants put words to their unique purpose so they can incorporate their purpose into 2014 goal setting activities. Details and registration at http://www.centerforguiltfreesuccess.com/community