Every time I teach a goal setting workshop at Hello Alice it starts the same way.

I ask business owners to write down their biggest goal for the next 90 days.

Within five minutes, the room is full of goals that sound like this:

• "Grow my business"

• "Get more customers"

• "Increase revenue"

• "Build a better team"

• "Improve our marketing"

Then I ask: "What would you actually DO this week to accomplish that?"

The answer is usually silence or several very vague answers.

The reason they have so much trouble articulating what they'll do is because these aren't goals. They're wishes dressed up in business language.

A wish is something you want to happen. A goal is something you're going to make happen. And the difference between the two isn't motivation or ambition—it's translation.

You already know what you want. The challenge is turning that want into language your brain and your calendar can actually execute.

That's what this framework does. It gives you the three components that transform "I want to grow my business" into daily action that actually moves you forward.

Let me show you how it works.

The Problem: Most Goals Are Directions, Not Destinations

Most people set goals that sound like goals but function like compass headings:

• "Increase revenue"

• "Get more customers"

• "Build a better team"

• "Improve our processes"

• "Grow our social media"

These tell you which way to walk, but not where you're going or how you'll know when you've arrived.

The result? You work hard. You stay busy. But six months later, you can't tell if you've made progress or just made motion.

Here's what goals actually need to drive action:

1. An inspiring destination (where you're going)

2. Measurable proof you're getting there (how you'll know)

3. The daily habits that make it happen (what you'll actually do)

Most goal-setting gives you the first part. Some give you the second. Almost none give you the third.

That third part? That's where everything changes.

The Three-Part Framework: Objectives, Key Results, and Systems

At Hello Alice, we use a framework called OKRs—Objectives and Key Results. But forget the acronym for a minute. Here's why this works for small businesses:

Part 1: The Objective (Where Are You Going?)

This is your inspiring destination. It's qualitative, aspirational, and clear enough that your team (even if your "team" is just you) can understand what you're building toward.

A good objective answers: "If we succeed this quarter/year, what will be different?"

Bad objective: "Grow the business"

Good objective: "Become the go-to consulting firm for mid-size tech companies in the Southeast"

Bad objective: "Improve customer service"

Good objective: "Create a customer experience so good that clients refer us without being asked"

Bad objective: "Make more money"

Good objective: "Build a business that generates $500K in annual revenue while I work 35-hour weeks"

See the difference? The good objectives are specific enough to guide decisions but inspirational enough to get you out of bed on hard days.

Part 2: Key Results (How Will You Know You're Getting There?)

This is your measurable proof. These are 2-4 specific, quantifiable outcomes that tell you whether your objective is actually happening.

Key Results answer: "What metrics would prove we're succeeding?"

For the consulting firm objective, your Key Results might be:

• Sign 3 clients with annual contracts over $75K each

• Increase average project fee from $15K to $25K

• Achieve 50% of new business from referrals (not cold outreach)

For the customer experience objective:

• Increase Net Promoter Score from 45 to 70

• Generate 30 customer testimonials or case studies this quarter

• Reduce customer support tickets by 40% through better onboarding

See how these are specific and measurable? At the end of the quarter, you can objectively say: "We hit this" or "We didn't hit this."

Part 3: Systems (What Will You Do Consistently?)

This is the part most goal-setting frameworks miss—and it's the most important part.

Think about college football. Every year, 120+ teams set the exact same goal: win the championship. But only one team stands at the top of that mountain.

So what separates the teams in the championship conversation year after year from the ones that aren't?

Not that they want it more. Every team wants to win.

Winning programs have systems to win. They don't just set goals—they build the culture, the recruiting process, the training regimen, the playbook that puts them in position to compete for championships every single year.

The goal matters. But the system is what makes the goal possible.

Your business works the same way.

Systems are the daily or weekly habits, processes, and routines that make your Key Results inevitable.

Here's the test: If your system requires you to remember it, it's not a system—it's a hope. More importantly, it's hard to remember. I learned this from David Allen in Getting Things Done. Real habits and systems have a trigger (Every Monday at 9am), location (When I sit at my desk), or another habit (Right after my morning coffee). Build the trigger, and the action becomes automatic.

Systems answer: "What will I do every week to make this happen?"

For the consulting firm:

• System 1: Every Monday, send personalized outreach to 5 dream-fit companies

• System 2: Every Friday, ask current clients: "Who else should know about this work?"

• System 3: Every month, audit pricing and say no to projects under $25K

For the customer experience objective:

• System 1: Every new customer gets a personal welcome video within 24 hours

• System 2: Every Tuesday, review support tickets and document FAQs

• System 3: Every month, interview 3 customers about their experience

Systems are where goals get real. This is the work. This is what you put on your calendar. This is what you actually do.

Without systems, your Key Results are just hopes. Without Key Results, your Objective is just a dream. Without an Objective, your Systems are just busy work.

You need all three.

Why This Framework Works: It Connects All Three Time Horizons

Remember last week's newsletter about the three time horizons? Here's how this goal framework connects them:

• Your Objective lives in Horizon 2 (Strategic: 90 days to 3 years). It's what you're building this quarter or this year.

• Your Key Results bridge Horizon 2 and Horizon 1 (Strategic to Operational). They translate your objective into trackable progress.

• Your Systems live in Horizon 1 (Operational: Today to 90 days). They're your daily and weekly actions.

This is why the framework works: It forces you to think about all three time horizons simultaneously.

You're not just dreaming (Objective). You're not just tracking numbers (Key Results). You're not just executing tasks (Systems).

You're doing all three—and each one makes the others more powerful.

And here's the part most goal-setting advice gets wrong: these three components should evolve together.

Your business is an organism, not a machine. It exists in a changing environment. Your goals should adapt.

Review your Key Results monthly. Are you on track? If not, why not? Is the goal wrong, or is the execution wrong?

Adjust your Systems quarterly. Are your weekly habits actually moving the needle? If not, what needs to change?

Revisit your Objectives annually (or when something major shifts). Is this still what you want? Is this still the right direction?

The framework isn't a straitjacket. It's a compass. It keeps you oriented while allowing you to adjust your path.

Real Business Translation: Three Examples

Let me show you what this looks like across different business types:

Example 1: Maria's Restaurant

Objective: Transform from a lunch spot to a dinner destination that locals bring out-of-town guests to

Key Results:

• Increase dinner revenue from 30% to 55% of total sales

• Achieve 4.7+ stars on Google with 200+ dinner reviews

• Sell out Friday and Saturday dinner service 3 weekends per month

Systems:

• Every Sunday, plan and promote one signature dinner special for the week

• Every dinner service, personally visit 5 tables to get direct feedback

• Every Monday, review weekend reservations and adjust marketing spend

Example 2: Jason's Software Consulting

Jason wanted to shift from "we'll build anything" to "we're the experts in healthcare compliance software." His Key Results: close 5 healthcare clients over $100K, publish 12 pieces of healthcare content, reduce sales cycle from 4 months to 6 weeks. His weekly systems: Monday outreach to 3 healthcare companies, Wednesday healthcare content publication, monthly discipline to say no to at least one non-healthcare project.

Example 3: Lisa's Product Business

Objective: Build a sustainable business that doesn't depend on me being available 24/7

Key Results:

• Hire and train a customer service lead who handles 80% of inquiries

• Document all core processes so any team member can execute them

• Take a 2-week vacation without checking email or Slack

Systems:

• Every week, document one process in detail (order fulfillment, returns, vendor communication)

• Every day, let the customer service lead handle inquiries independently (no jumping in to "save" them)

• Every month, review which tasks still require me and identify next delegation opportunity

The Weekly Pulse Check: How to Know If It's Working

Here's the brutal truth: most goals fail not because the goal was wrong, but because there's no feedback loop.

You set a goal. You get busy. Three months pass. You forgot what you were trying to accomplish.

The fix: Build in weekly iteration.

Every Monday (or whatever day you do weekly planning), ask yourself:

"Last week, did I execute my Systems? If yes, am I seeing progress in my Key Results? If no, why not—and what needs to change?"

That's it. One question. Five minutes.

This 5-minute check-in does three things:

1. Keeps goals visible - You can't forget what you review every week

2. Reveals broken systems fast - If you're executing but not seeing progress, you know by week 3, not week 12

3. Creates compounding wins - Small weekly progress compounds into 52 wins per year vs. 4 quarterly "oh crap" moments

I can tell you from personal experience: this Monday morning check-in has saved me more wasted time than any productivity app I've ever paid for. It's dead simple, takes five minutes, and it's the difference between catching problems early and discovering in December that you spent the whole year chasing the wrong goal.

This isn't about accountability in the guilt-and-discipline sense. It's about intelligent adaptation. You're learning from what's working and what's not, then adjusting course while there's still time to make a difference.

The First Move: Build Your First OKR & Habit System

Here's your template. Fill it out this week:

MY 90-DAY OBJECTIVE

This quarter, we will: _______________________________________________

(What will be different? Make it inspiring enough to get you out of bed on hard days.)

MY KEY RESULTS (2-4 metrics that prove it's working)

4. _______________________________________________________________ (optional)

(Make these specific and measurable. "Increase X from Y to Z" or "Achieve X number of Y")

MY WEEKLY SYSTEMS (The habits that make it inevitable)

Every Monday: _____________________________________________________

Every Wednesday: __________________________________________________

Every Friday: ______________________________________________________

Other weekly habit: _________________________________________________

(Make these concrete enough to put on your calendar. "Every Monday at 9am, I will..." not "Do more outreach.")

MY WEEKLY PULSE CHECK (Ask yourself every Monday)

Last week, did I execute my Systems? ☐ Yes ☐ No

If YES: Am I seeing progress in my Key Results? ☐ Yes ☐ No

If NO: What needs to change? ________________________________________

Now: Put this somewhere you'll see it every week.

Print it and put it on your desk. Add it to your weekly planning template. Set a Monday morning reminder. Screenshot it and make it your desktop background.

This isn't a document you write once and file away. This is your roadmap. Make it visible.

Putting It All Together

Most people have goals. What separates the ones who achieve them isn't that they want it more—it's that they have systems. The daily and weekly habits that make those goals inevitable instead of hopeful.

The three-part framework does one thing: it connects your dreams to your decisions. It forces you to think about where you're going (Objective), how you'll know you're getting there (Key Results), and what you'll actually do every week to make it happen (Systems).

Without all three working together, you're either dreaming without executing, executing without measuring, or measuring without knowing why.

Get this right, and you stop hoping your business will grow. You start building the business you actually want.

Start Small and Add Later: If you're new to this framework, don't try to build the perfect goal system on day one. Start with ONE objective, TWO key results, and TWO systems. Get those working for a month. Then add more. Simple and consistent beats complex and abandoned.

Make Your Systems Ridiculously Specific: Don't write "Do more outreach." Write "Every Monday at 9am, send personalized LinkedIn messages to 5 target clients." The more specific your system, the more likely you'll actually do it. Vague intentions don't survive a busy Tuesday.

Build In a 30-Day Audit: Set a reminder for 30 days from now. When it pops up, ask: "Are my Systems actually moving my Key Results? If not, what needs to change?" Most people wait 90 days to discover something isn't working. Catch it at 30 days and you can course-correct while there's still time.

"If I execute my Systems every week for 90 days, will my Key Results actually move?" This reveals whether your Systems are connected to your outcomes. If you can't draw a direct line from your daily habits to your measurable results, something's wrong with your framework.

"Is this Objective something I'd be proud to achieve—or just something I think I'm supposed to want?" This reveals whether you're building your business or someone else's version of success. If your goal doesn't excite you when you read it out loud, it's the wrong goal.

The gap between dreams and results isn't motivation—it's translation. You don't need to want it more. You need a framework that turns "I want to grow my business" into specific objectives, measurable results, and daily habits. Get this right, and goals stop feeling like pressure and start feeling like progress.