How to Set Powerful Goals for Your Franchise that Get Results 

• April 8, 2021

January is the month when people everywhere make resolutions. Franchise professionals like you and I do it too because the start of a new year offers a clean slate that we can fill with new plans, achievements, and success. 

But have you ever set New Year’s goals and then realized in June or December that they never really happened? That has been an issue for most of us, so don’t feel guilty about it. More importantly, don’t stop making goals because they haven’t lived up to your hopes in years past. Success doesn’t result from living in the past, it happens when we take new steps to create a productive new future. 

The Whys of Goal Setting 

Why shouldn’t you give up on goals? Let’s review. 

• Achievement. People who set goals get a lot more done than people who don’t. They become more successful. That’s been proven, and there’s no denying it.  
• Clarity. Well-defined goals help you focus on what you want to accomplish. 
• Leverage. The power of your goals is multiplied in franchise systems because you aren’t only setting goals for yourself, but for all your franchisees. Results can improve even more if you set goals for the entire system, franchisees set goals for their own locations, and you monitor all goals as part of an overall plan. In that way, even small amounts of progress can achieve phenomenal results. 
• Motivation. When you set goals and share them with others, they help you achieve them by taking take part, checking up. keeping you on track, and taking other steps to keep the process moving forward. 

 The Five Keys to Effective Goal Setting 

The most effective goals are SMART goals, which means they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Let’s explore those traits further.  

 Specific – Express your goals in simple clear words, put them in writing, and share them with others.  

Measurable –  Key your goals to specific metrics and benchmarks that you can quantify and track. As the old business saying holds, “What gets measured, gets done.” 

Attainable – There is no point in setting goals that are so ambitious that they cannot be reached. There is much more power in setting smaller goals and increasing them according to a plan.  

Relevant – The most effective goals are those that will impact on processes which, if improved, will produce meaningful improvements in key operational areas. So take time to define them carefully. 

Time-Bound – A calendar can be your greatest ally when it comes to achieving your goal. So create a date-specific action plan, share it with your team, and check it every month to be sure things are on track.  

 About the Author 

 Evan Hackel is a franchise industry leader, a widely published writer, a keynote speaker, a member of the New England Franchise Association Board, and Co-Chair of the International Franchise Association’s Knowledge Share Task Force. He is also the author of the new book, Ingaging Leadership: A New Way to Lead that Builds Excellence and Organizational Success.  

A consultant to some of the largest franchise systems in North America, Evan is also Founder and Principal of Ingage Consulting, a consulting firm focused on improving the performance of franchises and all business organizations. In addition, Evan serves as CEO of Tortal Training, a firm that specializes in developing interactive eLearning solutions for companies in all sectors.  

Evan received an MBA from Boston College and a BA in Economics from Colorado College. He resides in Reading, Massachusetts with his wife, Laura, and three children.