No More Guessing: How to Set Realistic Revenue Targets and Actually Hit Them
When you first started your business, it probably wasn’t just about having freedom or calling your shots. You wanted to earn. To pay your bills without stress. To cover your insurance, save for your child’s education, enjoy a vacation, and still have enough to pay yourself properly. You started this business with a financial goal in mind—even if you didn’t write it down. But without clarity around that goal, it’s nearly impossible to measure success. Let’s break down what that looks like in a practical, actionable way so you can build a business that not only runs but thrives.
Why Your Business Needs a Clear Financial Goal Today
Many entrepreneurs have vague ideas of how much they want to earn, but they don’t sit down and calculate exactly how much money they need to make each week or each month. Without a real target, you’re just hoping things work out—and hope isn’t a strategy.
Every business decision, every offer you launch, and every promotion you run should be guided by a specific revenue target. If you’re launching a new product, offering a service, launching a membership, or even hosting a workshop, ask yourself: How much do I want to earn from this?
Let’s say your goal is to make $10,000 this month. You don’t just stop there. You work backwards.
- If your offer is priced at $500, you know you need to sell 20 of them to hit your goal.
- If you’ve got 30 days to do it, you need to sell around 1 per day.
- If your conversion rate is roughly 10%, you need to have at least 10 real conversations each day to close that one sale.
Once you have this information, the path becomes clearer. You know how much content to create, how often to promote, and how much follow-up you need to do. Your marketing stops being random. You stop operating on guesswork and start operating on data.
How to Set Financial Goals for Your Small Business in 5 Steps
Breaking Down Your Monthly Income Target
Here’s the reality: if you want to consistently make money in your business, you need to plan for it. Whether you’re a coach, a hairdresser, a caterer, or a service provider, your income goals must be attached to a specific plan.
Let’s take the example of a hairdresser who wants to make $10,000 a month. They work five days a week—Tuesday to Saturday. That gives them about 20 working days per month.
- $10,000 divided by 20 working days means you need to earn $500 per day.
- Maybe your basic service is $100. That means you need five clients per day.
- Or, if you also offer higher-end packages at $200, you may only need three or four clients daily with a mix of services.
Now you know what to aim for each day. You can plan your schedule, promotions, and client outreach based on actual numbers, not assumptions.
Setting financial goals isn’t just for the sake of tracking income. It informs your pricing strategy, helps you forecast growth, and shows you when to increase your visibility or tweak your offer. If you’re not hitting your numbers, it doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means it’s time to review your activity against your goal.
Every time you launch something new, there should be a revenue target attached. Every time you set a goal, break it down by week, then by day, and then figure out what activity will drive the sales you need.
That might mean:
- Sending a certain number of emails
- Making a set number of calls
- Posting strategically on social media
- Following up with past clients
- Getting visible through interviews or partnerships
All of these actions become part of a system—one that helps you consistently reach your revenue goals.
But here’s something people often skip over: What’s your reason for wanting to make that $10,000?
Is that before or after tax?
Does that figure include your expenses, staff salaries, subscriptions, and other overheads?
Or is it your take-home profit?
Understanding the “why” behind the number makes your target even more motivating. Tying your financial goal to something meaningful—like saving for your child’s future or securing your own—makes it easier to stay committed when things get tough.
Setting financial goals also helps you see whether your pricing, effort, and audience size are aligned. If you’re undercharging and burning out trying to make ends meet, that’s a signal that something needs to shift.
The Bottom Line: Numbers Don’t Lie, But They Do Need a Plan
Business success isn’t just about having a good idea or showing up online. It’s about knowing exactly what you want to earn and breaking that number down into daily, weekly, and monthly targets. Once that goal is set, you work backwards and build a sales and marketing strategy that supports it.
Stop guessing. Start setting clear financial goals and give your business the structure it needs to grow.
Need help creating a realistic income plan for your next launch or month in business? Start with the number you want and break it into actionable steps. Then get to work, knowing every effort you make is getting you closer to your real financial freedom.
Would you like a simple template to map this out for your next goal? Book a FREE consultation today
