Climbing the Stairway to Success: The Power of Milestones in Your Online Business
Welcome back, dads! I’m thrilled you joined me today as we dive into an essential topic for anyone starting an online business: the importance of setting milestones. Think of milestones as the steps that will guide you to your ultimate goal. To illustrate this, I want to use the image of Machu Picchu, with its many staircases leading to breathtaking views at the top. Just like climbing those steps, reaching our business goals requires us to take things one step at a time, celebrating small victories along the way.
The Importance of Milestones
When we think about the end goal in our business, it’s easy to imagine the final, glorious step—the point where we’ve “made it.” But how do we actually get there? That’s where milestones come into play. Milestones are those smaller, manageable steps that help us track progress and stay motivated. They’re not the end goals themselves but essential markers that keep us moving forward, one step at a time.
My Journey to $10,000 a Month
Let me break down my own journey to a big goal: earning $10,000 a month from my online business within three years. To make this goal achievable, I’ve set specific milestones:
- One-Year Milestone: Earn $500 per month.
- Two-Year Milestone: Earn $4,000 per month.
- Three-Year Milestone: Reach the $10,000 per month goal.
These milestones are like the steps leading up to the peak of a mountain. But even these milestones can be broken down further to make them more approachable.
Breaking Down the Milestones
To hit that first milestone of $500 a month within a year, I’m focusing on monetizing my YouTube channel. This involves reaching 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time. But how do I get there?
- 100,000 Views: To achieve 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time, I’ll need about 100,000 views on my videos.
- Video Production: With an average view duration of 3-4 minutes per video, I’ll aim to produce videos that are 7-8 minutes long to ensure high audience retention.
- Content Volume: To hit 100,000 views, I’ll need around 100 videos. But before that, the first step is to get 35 videos up on my channel. This will help YouTube understand my content and start building momentum.
Setting Achievable Milestones
The key to setting milestones is to ensure they are achievable but still challenging enough to foster a sense of accomplishment. For me, the first big milestone is getting those 35 videos on YouTube. It’s a tangible target that’s within reach but still pushes me to work hard.
If 35 videos seem too daunting, you could start with a smaller goal, like 20 videos. However, I recommend that your milestones be challenging enough to make the achievement truly satisfying. Easy goals don’t give us the same sense of accomplishment, which is crucial for staying motivated.
Your Next Steps
As you plan your journey to your big mountain goal, think about the milestones that will guide you there. What’s your first step? What will your first milestone be? Setting these milestones will not only help you stay on track but will also give you the motivation to keep climbing, step by step, until you reach the top.
I hope you found value in this post. I’d love to hear your thoughts—what’s your first milestone on the path to your big goal? Share it in the comments below, and let’s support each other on this journey to success.
See you next time, and until then, keep climbing!
