By Amirali Khezrey (07/01/2022)

New year new me

Most of us make new year resolutions of some kind, but are startup targets ever worth it? As a student, I never gave much thought to setting goals to pursue through the year.

Working at Adviserly for the last six months, it turns out that startup targets are really useful. And from a personal point of view, the new year is a great time to reflect on the highs and lows through the year and consider how to improve on yourself as an individual.

The whole process can be an emotional rollercoaster! I started by asking myself what goals I should set myself.

Startup targets: an improved mindset

I’m no Elon Musk working 80-100 hours per week, but I do try to work smarter not harder. What do I mean?

Initially, I thought that the best way to approach my work (whether studying or working) was to do as much as possible. It sounded right on paper, but failed most of the time. Although the tasks would be done at a faster rate, they would not be completed as efficiently as they could have been.

Turns out that quality does beat quantity!

This doesn’t really work in a startup. There is so much to do and each day always brings something different. So now I tend to spend a greater amount of time focusing on a smaller number of tasks – for me its five per day. If I complete those tasks to a sufficient level and have some spare time, I turn to the next tasks on the list.

The key to setting good startup targets seems to be to plan in advance, set deadlines, focus on time management, and work towards progress, not perfection.

Finding the right balance

I’ve found there is nothing worse than setting yourself too many unrealistic goals that lead to failure and a miserable mindset. (Not that I’m ever miserable, if the boss is reading this).

That’s not to say don’t dream, most definitely do! But go about the process one small step at a time.

When I wanted to focus on my physical health for the first time, I didn’t go to the gym every single day, forget about everything else in my life, and start lifting the heaviest weights. I would have found the process overwhelming and given up in a few weeks.

Instead, I spent time researching a well-structured workout and diet program. I have so far avoided becoming one of the 43% of people who give up on their goals within the first month.

Working at a startup can feel like jumping into a gym routine without a warm-up. There are so many different things to do but the same rule applies, focus, and take one step at a time.

Adviserly’s 2022 startup targets

The same applies for the company itself. We can’t follow every idea, we have to focus on the core mission, building a network and providing great service to members and clients. The big goals for us are?

Revenue revenue revenue!
Grow the community both in numbers and in spirit
Generate great referrals
Find a co-founder
Get funding

And really, those five goals are one goal – enabling great firms and clients to do great things.

From those of us here at Adviserly, we hope you have a pleasant and productive 2022!