Chapter 27: Goals and Getting Started
“Happiness is the emotion of progress towards a desired goal. If you want to be happy, set a goal, give yourself what you want as quickly as possible and then set a new goal. Never suppress your dreams and desires” – Andrii Sedniev
“The single factor that determines success is how far a person projects into the future while taking action today.” – Dr Edward Banfield, a Harvard psychologist summarising his research on what makes people financially independent compared to those who don’t.
These two quotes appear consistently in books written by and about successful people. Tony Robbins, the popular self-help author, stated that if you could reduce all his books and philosophies to one word it would be “consistency”. Success comes from doing small things every day, building habits, and making progression towards a desired goal consistently.
The cleaning industry is frequently mentioned as one of the few accessible businesses that can provide financial freedom without requiring formal qualifications. Within weeks you can build a full-time income working part-time hours. Within months and years you can develop a successful business with multiple employees generating hundreds of thousands annually. Some business owners eventually reach seven-figure revenues. These outcomes are achievable with proper planning and execution.
In this chapter you will set your goals and create an action plan to begin your business. You will establish the foundation for building the life you want.
What You Will Learn
- How to create a 10-year vision for your business
- How to break down long-term goals into achievable milestones
- How to structure 5-year, 1-year, and 3-month goals that drive progress
- How to use the Minimal Viable Activity technique to overcome procrastination
- How to create daily habits that ensure consistent business development
The Five-Step Goal Setting Process
Step 1: Create Your 10-Year Goal
Begin with a notebook or digital note-taking system and write down your 10-year goal. Make this goal ambitious and substantial. Ask yourself: “If everything works perfectly, where do I want to be in 10 years?”
Consider this example: You own a cleaning company with 20 employees organized into 10 teams. Each team works four days per week and cleans two houses daily during school hours, earning $300 per day. As the manager and owner, your business generates $1,500 daily or approximately $300,000 annually working only weekdays (10 teams × $150 per team × 4 days × 50 weeks).
This represents a modest, achievable goal. You could expand to 30 or 40 employees, increase to three houses daily, operate five days weekly, run two companies in different towns, or develop a franchise with locations across the country. Use your calculator to work through various scenarios and determine what you genuinely want to achieve in 10 years.
This is your long-term vision. Make it substantial enough to motivate you.
Step 2: Define Your 5-Year Goal
Take your 10-year goal and divide it approximately in half. Write this in your notebook. If your 10-year plan includes 20 cleaners generating $600,000 annually, your 5-year goal might be 10 employees bringing in $300,000 per year.
Consider your current life situation. Think about where you were five years ago compared to where you are today. Now project five years forward and imagine your life with that $300,000 income. This process makes your dreams tangible and realistic.
Step 3: Establish Your 1-Year Goal
Use the same process but focus on what is realistically achievable within 12 months. Your one-year goal should be significant enough to be worthwhile but not so ambitious that it feels unattainable. Progress matters more than perfection at this stage.
For example, if you currently work at a job you want to leave, your one-year goal might look like this: “I am self-employed working only during school hours. I work four days per week cleaning two houses daily. I earn $300 per day for 50 weeks, generating $60,000 annually. Even at half this volume—one house per day or two days per week—I would be satisfied with the income and lifestyle.”
Your goal should be realistic enough to maintain your motivation but substantial enough to change your life meaningfully.
Step 4: Set Your 3-Month Goal
Break your one-year goal into quarterly milestones. If your annual target is four days per week with two houses daily, your first quarter could focus on launching the business and securing your first client. The second quarter could involve adding two more clients, and so on until you reach your target.
These shorter timeframes make progress measurable and help you adjust your strategy based on actual results.
Step 5: Create Your Weekly and Daily Action Lists
Use your notebook to develop weekly and daily tasks that move you toward your first 3-month goal. In our example, the initial goal is to launch the business and acquire your first client.
A sample weekly breakdown might look like this:
Week 1: Assemble all equipment, research and select a domain name, register the domain, begin website development.
Week 2: Start marketing to friends and family, order door hangers and business cards, refine your service description.
Week 3: Complete initial practice cleans, actively seek your first paying client, begin local marketing efforts.
You can create daily lists if that helps maintain momentum, but weekly planning is usually sufficient at this stage. Commit to making some progress every day, even if it is minimal.
When you reach each milestone, acknowledge your progress before updating your 3-month goal and creating new action steps in your notebook.
The key is to plan for the future while taking action today. Even small steps accumulate into significant progress. Remember that happiness comes from making progress toward a desired goal.
Minimal Viable Activity
This technique is effective for people who struggle with procrastination. The concept is simple and produces results.
Many people feel overwhelmed by the size of a project and consequently never start. The solution is to commit to the smallest possible daily time investment—perhaps 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Tell yourself you only need to work on the business for 15 minutes each day. Whatever happens, you set aside and complete those 15 minutes.
The effectiveness comes from the act of beginning. Once you sit down for your 15 minutes, you typically become engaged in the work and those 15 minutes often extend to an hour or two. However, if you only complete 15 minutes, that is acceptable and still represents progress.
This approach eliminates the pressure of starting and allows you to proceed at whatever pace suits you. There is no pressure and no anxiety about not doing enough.
This technique is proven effective. This book was written using this exact method.
Just Do It: The Action Plan
You have read the book and considered your goals. Now is the time to begin. Below is a comprehensive step-by-step list incorporating everything covered in this book. Set aside your 15 minutes daily and start working through these steps.
Note on notebooks: You can use either physical notebooks or digital note-taking applications on your phone or computer. Standard Notes (standardnotes.com) is one recommended option for digital notes. However, physical notebooks have advantages—the act of writing by hand reinforces commitment and progress. Consider purchasing good-quality notebooks and retain all receipts for tax purposes.
Key Takeaways
- Successful businesses are built on consistent daily action, not sporadic effort
- Break large goals into smaller milestones: 10-year, 5-year, 1-year, and 3-month targets
- Your 10-year goal should be ambitious enough to motivate you over the long term
- Your 1-year goal should be substantial but realistic to maintain motivation
- Use the Minimal Viable Activity technique—commit to just 15 minutes daily to overcome procrastination
- Create weekly action lists that drive progress toward your quarterly goals
- Physical notebooks can increase commitment, and all business supplies are tax-deductible
- Happiness comes from making progress toward goals, so celebrate each milestone before setting the next one