6 Goals Every Aspiring Entrepreneur Should Have This 2023 (with examples!)

January 12, 2021

As a new year always brings, most everyone is scrambling to create some good resolutions and make 2022 the best year yet. And if you’re ready to set big goals as an aspiring entrepreneur, you’ve come to the right place.

While there’s no “one” set of goals every aspiring freelancer or business owner should have, consider this list as a menu – one that you can mix and match and later customize to suit your situation. I’ll also share my own examples along the way, so be sure to share your own goals with me too.

Personal development goals

Personal development goals should be at the top of your list this year. After all, goals for everything else in your life might seem nice to have, but if those goals aren’t geared toward something bigger, then you’ll probably fall flat.

A few personal development goals can include learning opportunities like a masters degree or seminars, and it can even be something as simple as making important mindset changes.

Examples of personal development goals

Take 1 big online course on marketing and sales for solopreneurs
Work with a life/business coach for 6 months
Read 10 self-help/business books (and actually put your learnings into practice)
Maintain a daily journaling habit
Take daily, meditative walks around the neighborhood

My personal development goals include maintaining the journaling habit I started late-2018. While I don’t write daily (and can sometimes miss days on end), I realize that I liked having something to remind me about certain days, moods, and events that might have been significant.

I’m also pretty pumped to take more courses this year. My goal is to enroll in about 1-2 online courses that I can take to further my blog and biz.

Though I haven’t figured out what those courses might be, I’m narrowing down this big goal into tinier milestones such as: doing research on best courses to take online, and then saving up for the funds if they’re not yet available to me.

Lastly, I intend on rearranging my daily schedule so that I make time to write for my blog every day. Yup, every single day. I’ve resolved to take my laptop straight from work to somewhere I have no WiFi (fun fact: I’m writing this from the roof deck of the condo where I live).

Because I know that, in order to reach my daily blog writing goal, I need to write in complete zen mode, distraction-free.

Health goals

Right under personal development, you should be doing something about your health goals this 2022 if you’re not already.

Every year, I’m sure we meet a lot of people who decide to start exercising or taking group classes – or going on a strict, strict diet. These are all great, but a word of caution is not to overestimate how healthy you can suddenly become.

And when you set health goals as an entrepreneur, remember that this isn’t just for you: when you take care of yourself, you can help your business grow and thrive. You serve others better when you keep yourself in tip-top shape.

Just because a new year has started doesn’t mean your self-control can handle 5-10 health-related habits on the fly. Work your way up, and start as big (or as small) as you need to.

Examples of health goals

Aim for 7 hours of sleep a night
Exercise at least 5 times a week
Stop using your phone and computer after 9:30PM
Drink 2 liters of water every day
Eat vegetables every day
Eat dessert once every two weeks

I’m a huge sleep zealot, so my goal every year is keep doing what I do when it comes to making sure I get my 7 hours of sleep per night.

I’m even wondering if I need to make a goal out of helping other people meet their required sleep hours. So many friends of mine woe over the fact that they get little to no sleep.

(And while I know I can’t change anyone’s ways, should I still try to give them suggestions? I think I’m doubling back on this because I don’t want to be a backseat driver in anyone’s life. 🙂 )

Also, this year, I’m challenging myself to eat less junk – of which I am plenty guilty. Chips and the seemingly “healthy” frozen yogurt are my absolute weakness, and while I’ve never had a huge weight problem, I know I could be much healthier in my diet.

To help me meet that goal, I’m being stricter on myself on my monitoring habit. I’ve always liked to track my meals and calories, and historically, this has always done a great job for me at losing and maintaining my weight, so now I hope to miss less days and track consistently.

Relationship goals

No, this doesn’t just mean getting a significant other, my friend! 😉

There’ve been many studies that show how relationships greatly affect our happiness. And I’ve always believed it’s easier to meet our goals when we’re in a good disposition, so why not invest in better relationships this year to live a better, happier, sweeter life overall?

Examples of relationship goals

Schedule a weekly coffee date with a friend
Join a reading club
Talk to the people at yoga class
Call or email your parents every other day
Rekindle 1 “lost” friendship with someone you haven’t spoken to in years
Attend 3 networking events
Sign up for summits and conferences
Volunteer at 1 event

One of my biggest goals ever is to attend the Girlboss Rally. Meeting likeminded, entrepreneurial gal pals all the way in the other side of the world (as I write, I’m sitting cozy in Manila today) is such a dream.

While I’m not sure I can actually attend this year, one of my goals is to at least save up the money for a ticket as well as the lodging and travel expenses. Then maybe I can attend sooner rather than some distant future I haven’t even identified.

Another relationship-related goal I have this year is to participate more in group activities. I’m an introvert, but I love socializing when the event suits me. But in the past, I’ve found that I often said no to events “just because.”

Still, while there’s nothing wrong with skipping out on a party of two, I know that deep down I really want to go to some of them. Besides, there’s also the added benefit of networking at these parties, which I’ve found is crucial for solopreneurs like me.

Spiritual goals

Okay, okay, before anyone with no taste for religion shuns me away for suggesting this, just hear me out.

Spirituality is different from religion, though the two intertwine in that religion leads to a spiritual life and a spiritual life might even lead to religion.

You don’t need to have some big conversion. You don’t even need to be a big believer in anything just yet. But I’ve found that when you put your faith in something a lot bigger than yourself – like God or the Universe or whatever you want to call it – there’s a huge shift in your life that you suddenly can’t live without.

Examples of spiritual goals

Meditate 5 minutes a day
Read 5 biographies of spiritual gurus/masters/icons

The thing about spiritual goals is that there’s no concrete way to know if you’re on track with them – but you definitely feel their strong effects when you live your life trying to meet these goals.

I’m Catholic, for example, so I like to maintain a regular confession for my spiritual (and, as I’ve found, emotional) health. Once, I fell out of my regular confession routine for months, and I noticed my life getting a lot drearier, I was more anxious than I had to be, and I was making bad decision after bad decision.

But when I picked it up again? I was genuinely, inexplicably happier, had better self-control, and was a better friend to everyone around me.

Even if you don’t believe in one certain faith right now, try and experimenting this year. You might be surprised at the change spirituality brings in your life.

Financial goals

As a budding solopreneur, you’ll want to set some money goals. And the reason I mention this so late in the post is because I believe that all the other goals up there – personal development, health, etc – are important to set as foundations.

Financial goals like hitting a revenue goal or a savings quota brings a lot of pressure, especially if you’re looking to achieve big growth in 365 days. But when you put money goals first, I’ve found you become a slave to money.

Suddenly you can’t buy the things you love indulging in because you’re a few dollars short of your weekly budget. Or you’re working long hours and weekends just to take on more clients and hit that sales target.

So before you set your financial goals, get those foundations in place. That way, you can adjust these arbitrary goals – like money and business – to how you want to be living your life versus adjusting your life according to how much money or how big a business you want to have.

Examples of financial goals

Save 10% of income every month
Fund a weekend solo trip to Japan
Open an investments account, depositing 5% of income each month
Find 2 new clients for your side hustle this month
Reach 100,000 savings goal

As for me this year, I intend double my savings from 2021 by the end of the year.

I’m happy with where I am financially, but I want to challenge myself to find ways to double my blog income. So that’s why I’m exploring possible new income streams, both direct and passive.

Though I always advise others to set a specific number for a goal, I haven’t figured out what these new income streams might be for me. So I’ll cross that bridge and set those numbers when I get there.

Right now, my goal is to explore 2-3 new income streams. Once I find what I like (or what works – or both!), then I’ll get to setting those numbers.

And since my mom was a financial advisor, she’s convinced me to start putting aside money into investment accounts. So I’ll be putting aside a fraction of my earnings to these investments.

Business growth goals

And lastly we get to your actual biz goals.

Whether you want to start a profitable blog or launch a freelance career, you’re going to want to set business goals. Treat whatever you do as business – calculate expenses, make revenue goals, and get the necessary help you need from friends and mentors.

Examples of business growth goals

Book 1 brand sponsor per month
Have 3 launches in the year (course, book, membership site)
Attend 3 networking events in the year

In 2019, I received some amazing news: my blog was listed as one of Feedspot’s Top 15 Blogs in Manila – this is a big milestone I’m celebrating, and I know it wasn’t possible without creating loads of valuable content and reaching more audiences, both on my website and my Instagram.

So this 2022, I’m focusing even more on my income streams so I can keep doing what I love and .

I’m keen to keep making sales for my online course and even my one-on-one program, but as of 2021 onwards, I’ve been experimenting with ways to make some passive income streams via ad revenue and sponsored posts. So far, it’s been going all right — but I know with more effort, I can grow these streams of income to make nearly as much as I do from sales.

Plus, one fun thing I thought I’d try doing as well next year is creating some rockin’ new bonuses to offer alongside The Goal-Getter Playbook.

What are your goals this year, superstar?

And in case you need a little help finding Your Next Big Focus – gah! The overwhelm of having too many ideas, am I right? – then you can always grab a copy of The Goal-Getter Playbook.

This is a planner that’s designed to help you identify your goals, break them down into tiny and actionable steps, then monitor your progress. You’re covered from journal prompts to discover what you truly want to achieve, down to milestone trackers, and monthly and yearly reviews to see how you can do better.

Want your copy now? Click below!

Phew, so I poured my heart out opening up about my big goals for the year! Now it’s your turn. Comment below what your goals are – I’d love to cheer you on. 🙂

ABOUT Mica Gonzalez

Mica (hey, that's me!) provides resources for content creators and creative entrepreneurs to design their days with more purpose, impact, and creativity.

Her workshops, courses, and programs are all designed with her commitment to slow growth, anti-hustle culture, and success on our own terms.

When she's not referring to herself in the third person on her blog, she's sharing cool things she's into and up to on Instagram @micaangelicagonz.

Let's connect here:

want more?