How to Make Annual Business Goals You Will Actually Achieve

Today is part two of our 2025 goal setting series, and I'm breaking down the secrets of annual planning, which is one of the most important parts of running a successful art business.

Annual planning is hard, especially for creative business owners. It requires slowing down and setting aside extra time to focus, which can be tough for busy artrepreneurs. 

For example, to make a good plan, we have to write down our goals, which can be hard to place. We need to focus on what is essential for our business instead of getting scattered and distracted by all the potential things we could accomplish, which takes a lot of intentionality.

Once we've gone through part one of our goal setting process, we also realize that not everything that’s on our vision board can be accomplished next year. This means we have to determine which short-term goals we should establish for this year to accomplish our long-term goals.

There are so many moving parts to annual planning, but I'm going to give you a simple, step-by-step strategy on how to set goals and plan out your entire year to help yourself become a more successful artist.

Step One

The first step to planning out your year is keeping two essential components in mind: your personal goals, and any big activities you have planned for this year (think birthdays, holidays, family trips, etc.) Write all of these out before you move onto the next step.

Step Two

Think through the activities you wrote down in step one, as well as your target audience, and consider which parts of the year might be slowest or busiest for your business. Write down or visually map out your expected slow and busy seasons.

Step Three

Write down detailed, specific goals that you can complete to move your business forward. Include things that are going to make you money, grow your audience, bring personal fulfillment, or increase your skill level. Map them out throughout the year-- during your slower seasons, you can make a lot more headway than during busy seasons.

FAQ's and Tips

How many annual goals should I set for myself?

There isn't a one-size-fits all approach that works for everyone in the art world when it comes to goal-setting. It depends on your business, your schedule, and the size and type of your goals. I believe in setting groups of 3 main goals per year, because you want to be able to focus and avoid getting overwhelmed. 

Most importantly, your goal planning should depend on the amount of time you have to work on your business. My rule of thumb is, if you have 5 hours a week, set 1 goal. If you have 10 hours, set 2 goals, 15 hours, 3 goals, etc. Some goals may be smaller, some are bigger. It’s better to have too few goals than to have too many.

Remember: the annual plan you're creating now is fluid and can be adjusted any time! Your beginning-of-year planning is just a template that can help guide you, but the specifics can fluctuate throughout the year as you try to carry out your goals.

​What should my goals look like?

Creating a thriving business involves making the right type of goals. I absolutely recommend SMART goals-- goals that are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely. 

Here are some examples of SMART goals you could set for 2025:

1. I want to release 5 new Mother’s Day greeting cards by March 1st so I can sell them to retailers (rather than: I will prepare Mother’s Day greeting cards)
2. I will earn 10k more than last year (rather than: i will earn more than last year, or I will earn 100k this year)
3. I’m going to pitch to 5 companies every Monday for the next 4 weeks (rather than: I will pitch my portfolio this year)
4. 4. I want to grow my newsletter by 20 new subscribers a month (rather than: I want to grow my newsletter this year)

The best way to make sure you actually reach your goals is to break down every step of them. Having a clear vision of how you will carry them out will help you avoid overwhelm by giving you an exact path to follow. 

If you realize you don’t know which steps exactly lead to your goal, google or ask! Put down dates you need to accomplish each of the steps by to keep yourself on track throughout the year.

Remember: Out of sight, out of mind, and you don't want your careful planning to go to waste. Put your goals somewhere you can see them every day! 

Check in every quarter: Are you on schedule? Is there anything holding you back? Should your goals be adjusted?

What if I don’t hit my goals?

Don’t attach meaning to not hitting a goal. If you notice you're not on track to complete one of your goals, evaluate: What part of the plan didn’t work? Was there a step that we’ve missed? What can I do to help myself change course? 

Also, keep in mind, chaos attracts chaos. When you’re calm and open to opportunity, an opportunity will show up.

Homework 

Calendar your next year: Break it down into a monthly schedule that highlights the best times to make headway on your goals. List out your SMART goals and break them down into actionable steps. Add them to your calendar. Set a reminder to check in on your progress every quarter!

If you'd like some motivation as you pave your way as a professional artist, check out our interview series on the blog! Seeing what other artists like yourself have accomplished with my process can help you dream big and make those dreams come to life.