The Create Your Day Podcast

103. Stop Setting Goals You'll Never Hit: The 3-Year Framework That Works

• Jenn Cody • Season 1 • Episode 103

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Have you ever created a beautiful vision board or business plan that ended up collecting dust? You're not alone. Most entrepreneurs struggle with bridging the gap between inspiring visions and daily actions that move the needle.

The three-year vision emerges as the perfect sweet spot for effective business planning. It's far enough away to think beyond current limitations but close enough to create concrete plans. Unlike paralyzing 10-year forecasts or restrictive 1-year timelines, three years gives you breathing room while maintaining urgency and relevance. The entrepreneurs who successfully reach their three-year goals aren't necessarily more talented—they're simply clearer about what they want and committed to consistent aligned action.

When crafting your vision, resist focusing exclusively on revenue targets. Instead, visualize your typical day when you've reached your desired level of success: What time do you start working? What kind of work fills your day? Who are you working with? This experiential approach often reveals surprising insights—you might discover the business you thought you wanted would actually make you miserable to run. By establishing clear non-negotiables and connecting with your true motivation (not the Instagram-worthy version, but your honest driving force), you create guardrails that prevent opportunities and pressures from pulling you off track.

The real power comes when you translate your vision into operational reality. If your target is $500,000 annually, that's roughly $10,000 weekly. Based on your pricing, how many clients does that represent? If you convert 20% of qualified leads, how many conversations do you need? Working backward creates a mathematical framework that connects your aspirational vision to daily activities. Break your three-year plan into year one milestones, then further into 90-day catalysts—specific, measurable goals that build momentum and confirm you're heading in the right direction.

Ready to stop planning like everyone else and start building the business you actually want to run? Take this framework and create your day in the best way possible!

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Speaker 1:

Hey everyone, welcome to the Create your Day podcast. I'm your host, jen Cody, and it is great to have you here. Hope you're having a good day. It is September, so hope your summer was good and hope that you are, I don't know, enjoying If you're in a place where the weather changes. Here in New York, the weather has certainly started to get a little bit brisker and my windows are open, and that always makes me happy, so I hope, wherever you are, you're also enjoying the change in season, although I have to say I don't really love the fact that it's dark out until so late in the morning. So I will be looking forward to the spring when the sun is out longer and we could get back to that kind of thing. So out longer and we could get back to that kind of thing.

Speaker 1:

So, okay, so for today's episode, I want to talk about vision and goals and what actually can drive our decisions, so that our decisions bring us closer to the goals that we've set, and those goals are not just like collecting dust in a folder somewhere or in the note app on your phone or you know. We want to actually be putting things into action, and a lot of times in business especially, people may talk about your five-year plan, your 10-year plan, and sometimes that can be a little bit paralyzing. We hear it and we freeze and we're like, oh, I don't know, we'll just rattle off some kind of vague things that might sound impressive but really aren't based in anything substantial. Or maybe it's the opposite. Maybe you've spent hours like really perfecting those goals and it feels motivating when you first do it and then you really don't look at it again, kind of. You know, this happens a lot with vision boards. I work with people and they create these vision boards that are so motivating. Like the act of creating the vision board is motivating in itself, but then if you don't look at it after that, that doesn't do anything for you.

Speaker 1:

So today we want to talk about a few different things. We're going to talk first about that three-year plan. The three-year is like the sweet spot. And why is it three years specifically? How do we make our visions concrete enough that they're guiding our very real decisions every single day? And, most importantly, as always, I really want to find a way to help you bridge the gap between your dreams, what you're working on and what you're actually doing.

Speaker 1:

So let's start with the three-year number, like, why three years, why not five, why not one, why not 18 months, why not 10 years? Well, three years is kind of a sweet spot, and it's far enough away that it allows you to think big, and it's close enough that you can actually create the picture that you're trying to create. So what I mean by that is, you know, three years you can get those really big visions out of your head and you don't feel trapped by your current situation, right, because you have three years to get there. It gives you enough time to work on whatever it is that you are trying to create in your life, without feeling like whatever obstacles are in front of you today are insurmountable, whereas one year might feel like a little too close. Right, maybe there's things going on in your life that you know won't be able to be resolved within the next 12 months, and then, when you think about five years, it almost feels too big. Anything can happen between now and then. So how do I know what I'll be dealing with, what obstacles are going to become coming up, especially in 10 years? We can't predict what's going to happen in 10 years, but we absolutely can create a plan for three years from right now. And listen, the people who achieve the three-year visions doesn't mean they're smarter, doesn't mean they're more talented. They just take the time to really get clear on what they want and then they stay committed to the work to bring them closer to that every single day. So I'm going to walk you through how to create a vision that really works.

Speaker 1:

So what we want to talk about first, it's not numbers, it's experience and in business. There's a lot of people out there that focus totally on revenue targets right, totally on clients and productivity and all of the things around the numbers in your business. And when we only do that, we're ignoring what does it feel like to run that business? And, honestly, that is where a lot of divisions actually fail. They sound great on paper, but when you really think about the day-to-day reality, you start to realize that you've maybe designed something that you don't enjoy running, that it's not actually what you want to be doing. So what I want you to do is, instead of saying like, let's say, there's a revenue goal that you have in your brain and it could be anything, you know, there's people who are just starting out that are looking to make their first one $2,000 in their business. And then there's people who are like I'm ready to hit $25,000, $50,000, $100,000 months with what I'm doing.

Speaker 1:

So instead of saying that, instead of focusing on the number, let's get specific about what your typical day looks like when you are actually generating those numbers. And here's the difference. We spend a lot of time thinking about how to structure our day right now to get where we're going, and that's not wrong. We need to be able to do that. We want a time block. We want to do all the things that make it possible for us to get where we're going, but what I want you to do for this exercise is think about what that day looks like when you've gotten there, when you are already generating the revenue that you want to be making. What does that day look like? What time are you starting working in the morning? What kind of work are you actually doing and who are you doing it with? What are some of the problems that you're encountering? What makes you excited and what are the things that you might be doing now that you can actually envision yourself not having to do anymore once you reach that point and the reason you want to do this is because there is a chance that the business that you're thinking about right now in reality you might not be that excited about it. And I'm going to use an example for you.

Speaker 1:

One of my clients had not opened her business yet. She was looking to open a business, a restaurant, and she was looking at how big it was going to be. And when she first started planning and this is like early stages, right Early days she and I are getting together weekly having our sessions, brainstorming what does the business look like, where is it going to be located? All from the very, very beginning inception of the dream. And in the very beginning, what she was telling me was I want, you know, big, big, big dreams, a restaurant that seats hundreds of people, that's turning over tables, you know, maybe even heading towards, I want Michelin star chefs coming in, like she wanted the full dream. And then, as we started going through it more and more and more and she started to realize and picture what her days would be like managing that level of complexity, the team requirements, the system requirements she realized you know what? Maybe there's a different balance for me. Maybe I scale back, I could still have the quality right, because a lot of times when we're starting to build businesses, we think the size and the revenue of the business somehow is attached to the quality and value that we're bringing, and that is really not the case. So she started realizing wait a minute, maybe I can have this nice little boutique, small restaurant, few tables the quality is still going to be A plus. And that clarity changed literally everything about her strategy. Nothing that we had started doing was going to apply anymore. So this kind of work is really important and this is why that three-year number you want to focus on it, because what you're doing today, you know, when we speak about like time frame of the actions that we do, what we do today, we're going to start to see the results of those actions in about 90 days. But all of those things should be working towards.

Speaker 1:

Where do you see yourself three years from now when you started making the money that you want to make? The business is running the way that you want it to be run. What does that person look like? What is that business owner? What's your energy like? What is your day looking like? So after you do that, I want to talk about your non-negotiables, and what I mean by non-negotiables are kind of like guardrails.

Speaker 1:

What are the things that when you are presented with opportunities because you are going to be presented with opportunities, whether it's directly or indirectly when you think opportunities, I want you to think about the shiny Facebook ads that come through, the invitations from people to go do things that are maybe networking events, maybe, you know, casual, friendly, personal things for your calendar. There are going to be opportunities everywhere, every day, that you have to say yes or no to. What about the pressures that are coming up, right? The pressures to make your first payroll, the pressures to pay your first tax bill? There's a lot of pressure around building a business, right? So the guardrails that you're going to put in place, they're to help you keep those things from pulling you off the course that you're on.

Speaker 1:

So think about this as, when you go back to the day that you're creating, right, if you're deciding that you are never going to work more than 40 hours a week or you're never going to take on a client that doesn't really align with your vision, well then we need to have guardrails in place to make sure that that happens, because it's easy to kind of fall into it like, oh, just this one time I'll do extra hours, or just this one time I'll do my cousin a favor and take on their friend as a client. But you want to really pay attention to what are the boundaries that you have in your life, in your business. These should be, and need to be, your non-negotiables. Write them down, make them specific. When you're building towards your vision, you are always going to face moments where it feels much easier to compromise on these standards than to stick with them. So your non-negotiables they're what separates you from building what you love and building what you're really working on and building something that is running your life, that's dictating your every move. Those are two very different realities. So figure out what those non-negotiables are your guardrails, your boundaries and write them down Again. Make them super, super specific.

Speaker 1:

And then I want you to think about your motivation. I mean your real motivation, not like the picture you want to put on Instagram, but what is your motivation behind what you are building? Is it financial security for your family? Is it that you want to prove to yourself that you can do something that you have always wanted to do? Are you looking for freedom and working on your own terms, being your own boss? Maybe it's literally about the problem that you solve. Maybe it's a problem that you've experienced in your own life and now you're super passionate about being able to help other people.

Speaker 1:

So I want you to write down your first instinct. Think about what's your core motivation. Write it down. Don't edit it. Don't try to make it sound more inspirational than it is. Just write what is true. Your truth is what is going to sustain you when things get hard. This is something that every single put it on a post-it. Put it on your mirror at home, somewhere inside your wallet. Let your truth just be your truth, instinctually. What is your core motivation in what you are doing? And remember, this is not about Instagram. It does not have to be inspirational. It can be super basic, like I want to be able to feed my family and enjoy my day. That's it, okay.

Speaker 1:

So now let's talk about the reality, and the reality is this is where we're going to get super concrete, because I'm talking about operational reality Based on your vision. What does your business actually need to look like when it comes to operations? Think about how many clients you need to be serving. How many team members do you think you're going to need? What are they doing? How many team members do you think you're going to need? What are they doing, those team members? What are the systems that have to be put in place so that those team members actually have something to do that makes sense and they're not just walking around next to you waiting for direction, you know, as the wind blows?

Speaker 1:

Think about, go deep. What's your profit margin? What do you want at the end of the year? How much money do you want your business to be making? I don't mean that top line revenue, I mean profit. When everything is said and done and paid, what's the profit that you're walking away with? So we can do this with some real numbers. Right, let's take 500,000. We can do this with some real numbers. Right, let's take 500,000. So if you're going to hit 500,000 a year, that's about 40,000, between 40 and 45,000 a month. So let's say 10,000 a week. I probably could have done that math easier. 52 weeks in a year, yeah, so 10,000 a week. So when you think about what you do, how much of it do you need to do to make those numbers a reality? If you're selling $5,000 programs, well then you need two clients a week. If you're selling $2,000 services, you need five clients a week. You know, if it's $100,000 a year, all of that goes less. If it's a million dollars a year, you're going to double it. So think about what you actually do. No matter what business you're in, you can do this exercise.

Speaker 1:

Everybody that owns a business, that business makes money somehow. So think about what your business does to make money. How much of it needs to be done to make the money you want to make? How much of it needs to be done to make the money you want to make? Now, what do you have to do consistently to make sure that happens? This is the operations, right? Because if I need three clients a month to make the numbers that I want, or three clients a week, then what am I doing all the time, every day, to attract that many people into my business? And it's not just those three people, right? Because I can't just say, oh, I can speak to three people this week and that's going to mean I have three new clients. That would be great if that's how life worked and business worked, but it absolutely does not.

Speaker 1:

So if we're going to look at a conversion rate of maybe 20% of your qualified leads, it's qualified, right People that actually want what you do, what you are offering. If I offer services to new moms, I can't go to an all men gym and speak to anybody there and think that they're a qualified lead. I need to go where my qualified potential clients are. So let's go back to that conversion number. If I want to convert 20% of my qualified leads, I'm going to need 10, 20 conversations a week, right. And if 20% of my total leads qualify of my total leads qualify, then I need 50 to 100 total leads per week. So we want to really be intentional about what we're doing. If 20% of the people who see your content become leads, well, then you need 2, 3, 4, 5, 600 people engaging with your content weekly. People engaging with your content weekly. This is math, right. We're not recreating the wheel here. We are looking at what actually do I need to do to attract people into my business. So I hope you see how this works.

Speaker 1:

Your vision has to connect to real operational requirements. Otherwise it's just kind of wishful thinking and good luck, because we can't just go out there every day and be like I'm going to build a business and I'm going to make the money that I want to make and not have that tied to real things that we need to do. So think about the problem that you're solving in the world. Not your elevator pitch, but the real, honest answer as to why your business matters to you and why it matters to the people that you serve. Think of it like an impact statement. It doesn't have to be. You're not curing cancer, you're not solving world's hunger. It just has to matter to you and to the people you serve.

Speaker 1:

The reason I want you to do this is because the people, the business owners, who actually achieve their goals. They're not the ones with the biggest dreams, they're the ones with the clearest vision and systems for turning those dreams into action. And this is how we do it. We have to connect to what we're doing. Do you even know what you're doing? That's a whole other exercise to do right.

Speaker 1:

Are you just out there saying I want to make a difference and you're not really sure how you're making a difference? Then you need to do some work right, because we need clarity around what we're actually doing. Because how can we get to that final step of bridging the gap between our vision and our reality if we don't have clarity around the reality. So now we have this compelling three-year picture. We know we have three years to get there. That feels comfortable. We know we can do it in three years. We know that the obstacles in front of us today will be manageable and we can move them out of our way as we go through this three-year process. So you have the compelling picture, but how do you actually get there? And I don't want you to get stuck here, because having the vision and not implementing it is a big problem.

Speaker 1:

So let's start with year one. What needs to be accomplished just in this first 12 months in order for year three to even be possible? So this is where we're going to break it down into smaller chunks, right. So we first break it down into year one. Where do you think you need to be 12 months from now in order for that big three-year vision to be possible for you? And then break it down even smaller to a 90-day catalyst. What can you achieve in the next quarter starting today? That's going to build the momentum you need to finish year one, where you need to finish it.

Speaker 1:

So this 90-day goal needs to be really specific, really measurable, right? Make it a smart goal, and it has to be significant enough that achieving it proves you're on the right track. So it's not where. Oh, I'm going to start marketing more, because you can't measure that. More just means more. But you want to be very specific. What are you marketing more? Are you launching a new service? Are you signing five new clients? So that's much more measurable, much more specific than just I'm going to get more clients. I'm going to start marketing more.

Speaker 1:

Don't say I'm going to get more organized. Put it into really specific and measurable goal format. So maybe it's. I want to implement a new onboarding system. I want to reduce my administrative time by 10 hours a week. Maybe that means hiring someone, right, or maybe it means cutting out the clutter and the busy work that you're spending time doing because you're too spinning and not actually putting things into action.

Speaker 1:

So listen, if you have a vision without a system, I get it. Everybody starts with a vision and no system, so there's nothing wrong. It's just like having a destination but you don't have a GPS, right. You know you're going to get somewhere eventually, but maybe it's not where you really want to go. So we have to do this work to make sure that we're headed in the right direction, because I can tell you this, a lot of business owners they don't fail because they can't create the vision.

Speaker 1:

We're creatives, right, we're visionaries by definition, but if we can't implement that vision consistently while doing whatever we're doing currently because, guess what, not everybody has the luxury of just sitting back and saying I'm going to start a business and it can take me three years to get where I want to go and I'm just going to live off the land until then, Most likely you're doing something else. So division work is only 20%. The other 80% is having the systems, because how can you build a business? I built my business, which, thankfully, has organically grown into a beautiful, fulfilling and successful business, but I did it with blood, sweat and tears, alongside working to pay my bills right, because this didn't always pay my bills. So we have to come up with those systems that are going to work with whatever our current reality looks like. We have to hold ourselves accountable and have the frameworks in place to actually execute all of this.

Speaker 1:

I want your three-year vision to feel exciting, I want it to be motivating and I want it to feel solid, like it's enough of a foundation that it's going to guide your decisions starting tomorrow. If it does these things, you're already ahead of 90% of the people out there, so congratulations. Next week, we're going to talk about something totally different. We're going to talk about how to identify the bottlenecks that are going to get in your way as you do this. But for now, just stop planning like everyone else. Start building the business that you actually want to be running and that feels good to you. So hope this was valuable for you. Take this information, go out there and create your day in the best way possible, and I will see you next week. Until then, take care of yourselves, take care of each other and have a great one.