Shelley Bosworth, founder of Shelley Bosworth Coaching, guides you through evaluating your progress, defining your business goals for 2025, and then shifting your mindset and refining your strategy to achieve them.

It’s still not too late to achieve every business goal you set yourself in January – but do you want to? Many business owners descend into panic mode at this time of the year, feeling like they’ve failed to tick all the boxes and becoming so overwhelmed they get stuck. As we hit the last quarter, this is a crucial time to assess where you are and, more importantly, to check if you still have the same goals. The objectives you set out several months ago might have changed, and that’s ok; it’s what you do next that counts.

The role of goal-setting
Short and long-term goals are essential for entrepreneurial success; they keep you focused, help you prioritise, and enable you monitor your progress. The key is not to overcomplicate things. Whether you call them your goals or your vision, you should know what you want to achieve so that you can establish a clear route ahead. Not everyone is a natural goal-setter, and some people find the idea of far-reaching goals overwhelming. However, the process can be made simple for anyone by getting the proper support to channel their ambition and turn their ideas into tangible steps.

Unfortunately, at this time of the year, the pressure tends to escalate with lots of talk about making the next few months count, especially on social media. That’s when you might start to question what you have and haven’t achieved. Comparison can creep in, as can a scarcity mindset, where you focus on what you lack and spiral into an anxious pattern of thinking. The problem is that all the urgency around ‘only X months to go’ creates a race to the finish line, suggesting there is an imaginary cut-off point at midnight on New Year’s Eve. In truth, you can still keep moving forward as the clock ticks over.

Avoid the panic
If you are worried about not being where you predicted you would be in your business, start with a reality check and take stock. What have you achieved so far this year and what are you still working towards? Perhaps you’ve achieved things you hadn’t even anticipated. Instead of falling back into self-criticism, congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come and what challenges you’ve navigated successfully. This will help you shift your mindset from how far away some things seem to seeing what more is possible.

Changing things up
Check-in with what you said you wanted. If you don’t have the same objectives, it’s perfectly fine to reset the goals and the timelines based on what you can realistically accomplish in the final stages of the year. If you do want to take a different direction, give yourself space to acknowledge that and develop a new strategy, taking into account where you want to be – you can’t work out the route if you don’t have a destination. Also, just because there might be some readjustment, it’s important not to dismiss everything you have done to date as a waste. Again, get clear what your new goals are and accept that running a business will always be a work in progress. As you look ahead, ask yourself what can be adapted, re-routed or relinquished.

I recommend to my clients that they re-assess their bigger, long-term business goals every quarter. It’s best to do it regularly as life can be unpredictable and as an entrepreneur, your business tends to be a vehicle for the life you are looking to create.

In terms of the smaller steps that get you to the bigger vision, look at those monthly alongside your progress; that way, any adjustments you need to make are more manageable.

Developing a goal-oriented mindset
Like many aspects of running a business, having the right mindset is essential. It’s generally acknowledged that success relies 80% on mindset and 20% on strategy – it’s true. Mindset is what allows us to believe we can achieve our goals and that we are worthy of success. It empowers us to set ambitious goals and, crucially, commit to taking the required actions to bring them to fruition. What’s more, a strong mindset gives us the confidence and self-belief to keep going in the face of challenges, be resilient and stay motivated.

The next time you see someone on social media telling you not to waste the last few months of the year, or even to make 2025 your ‘best year yet’, remember, they don’t know your goals, and comparison won’t benefit you or your business.