Did you know that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down?

There are proven ways to approach goal setting that will increase your likelihood of attaining them. One of those ways is setting “SMART” goals.

Though the most notorious time of year to write down your goals is New Year's Day; successful business owners evaluate their goals at defined intervals. Businesses should have short term and long term goals. Long term goals should help guild long term goals.

Do a little day-dreaming, if the next 10 years were a raving success, what would they look like? What would your life be like at that point? What would your business look like? What would your relationships look like?

Use this visualization exercise to help guide you when you start working on your goals. Once you have began to consider where you want to go, SMART goals help you further define the roadmap to getting there.

By understanding what a fully fleshed out goal should entail, you can have a better understanding of what it takes to achieve your goal and how exactly your pet business will benefit from it.

Let’s get started...

What does SMART mean?

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Achievable
R = Relevant
T = Time-bound

How do I apply these attributes to goal-setting?

S - Specific Goals:

Your goal should fully describe the actions that will be taking place in order to achieve your goal with a specific timeframe.

Focus on: Who, What, Where, When, & Why

Here is an example of a Specific Goal: My staff members will be fully trained to be able to use each operational feature of our facility’s new kennel software by the last weekend of January in order to increase work efficiency and customer service.

Who: staff members

What: kennel software training

Where: my facility

When: by the end of January

Why: to increase work efficiency and customer service

M - Measurable Goals:

You should be able to quantify your goal in order to assess when you have achieved it. This helps you track your progress and once you see how much you’re improving, you’ll be motivated to keep going.

Focus on: observable actions, quantity, quality, cycle time, efficiency, flexibility

Here is an example of a Measurable Goal: My pet facility will surpass last year’s revenue by 10% by December.

A - Achievable Goals:

Your goal can be ambitious, but not exceed your capabilities. Be honest with yourself in acknowledging what you, your resources, your timeframe, and your environment are limited to. Don’t be afraid to think long-term so that when you set your short-term goals, you’ll be working towards a bigger picture.

Focus on: your authority, influence, resources, and work environment

Here is an example of an Achievable Goal: Our facility will expand within the next 3 years to include a new play area with modern interior design.

R - Relevant Goals:

Your goal should be congruent with your facility’s mission and business plan. Make sure each goal you set lines up with the direction you want your business to head towards.

Focus on: departmental goals, staff accountability

Here is an example of a Relevant Goal: I will network with 3 local veterinarians in order to gain referrals from these established pet professionals and to be able to promote my business flyers on their bulletin board.

T - Time-Bound Goals:

In goal-setting, you should be aware of the amount of time it takes to complete each action step towards your ultimate goal. Set soft deadlines to give your staff a little bit of leeway before the fixed hard deadline.

Focus on: specific dates, calendar milestones, or timeframes

Here is an example of a Time-Bound Goal: Host a pet adoption event on the last weekend of April, which entails sending out invitations, promoting the event on social media, and contacting local animal shelters to participate.

In this case, each action step (sending, promoting, and contacting) needs to have its own soft deadline in the time between now and the hard deadline on the last weekend of April.


By thinking SMART, you’ll have a clearer vision of your goals, which will make it easier to accomplish them! One smart decision you’ve already made was deciding to use PawLoyalty kennel software. Now what other genius plans can you come up with?

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What is one of your SMART goals?