Let’s talk about setting goals that actually move the needle in your business—not the safe ones you know you can hit, and not the outrageous ones you secretly have no plan for. I’m talking about the kind that stretches you just far enough to make you uncomfortable, in the best way.

Here’s the formula I use with my coaching clients to help them get focused, fired up, and intentional about growth:

Step 1: Set a “Stretch-but-Believable” Goal (Then Bump It Up a Bit)

Pick a number or target that makes you pause. One that gives you that nervous energy—like, “Whew, I don’t know if I can do that...but maybe I could.”

Now increase it by 10-15%.

Why? Because most agents sandbag their goals to avoid failure. But you’re here to grow, not play it safe. Stretching your goals slightly beyond your comfort zone forces growth and reveals what you're actually capable of.

Step 2: Know What Really Drives You: Pleasure or Pain?

This is huge.

Ask yourself: are you more motivated by a reward or avoiding a consequence? The carrot or the stick?

• If pleasure drives you: set a reward that excites you. A weekend getaway, a new gadget or outfit, tickets to a dream event.

• If pain motivates you: set a “punishment” that stings. Maybe it’s donating to a cause you don’t support, cancelling a trip, or doing something uncomfortable like posting your results publicly.

Make it personal. Make it real. And then…

Step 3: Write It Down and Make It Visible

Put your goal and your reward (or punishment) in writing and place it where you’ll see it every single day—your bathroom mirror, your laptop background, your planner, your phone wallpaper. Whatever works.

When your “why” and your commitment stay top of mind, your excuses have less room to grow. Along with this reward or punishment, you should have your actual "why" statement in a place that you see regularly. This is the reason you do what you do. This is your compass and what will bring you back on track when times get hard and you start to drift because they will...and you will. 

From there, energy matters. Mainly YOUR energy. And I'm not talking about how many triple espressos you have. I'm talking about your positivity and faith and confidence. That type of energy. They type of energy that people feel when somebody that has it walks into a room. 

Step 4: Do the Math. Reverse-Engineer the Goal

Let’s say your goal is to sell $10 million in real estate volume this year.

Here’s how to break it down:

1. What was your average sales price last year?
   → Let’s say it was $500,000.

2. How many homes is that?
   → $10M ÷ $500K = 20 transactions.

3. What’s your close rate?
   → If you work by referral like I do, 1 out of every 2 people you work with ends up closing, you’ll need 40 clients to hit your 20 closings. If you're buying leads online, your close rate might look more like 1 out of every 100 and then you will need 2000 leads.

4. Where do your clients come from?
   → If you're referral-based, you need to figure out how many relationships generate those 40 clients and how much time you need to invest in each of those relationships to generate those referrals. If you're just starting out working by referral this takes a little time but after about a year, a pattern will develop and tracking this info becomes quite easy and clear. If it's paying for leads online, that math is simpler to figure out but possibly more costly. 

5. What activities create those leads?
   → How many client calls, coffee meetings, handwritten notes, check-ins, or pop-bys lead to referrals?

6. Break it down daily.
   → If you need 40 clients this year, that’s roughly 3–4 new referral leads per month.
   → What consistent daily activities will get you there? How many calls or coffee meetings do I need to do today to hit my goal in one year?

This is the part most agents skip. But when you reverse-engineer your goal into daily actions, the path becomes clear. You don’t need magic—you need a calculator and a commitment...and a little trust in the process.

Step 5: Track + Adjust Every 90 Days

Every quarter, check your progress. Are you on pace?

If you're ahead—awesome, keep going.
If you’re behind—double down. Increase your activity.

The worst thing you can do is coast and hope things magically change. Hope isn’t a strategy—action is.

Here’s the Bottom Line

Success doesn’t come from vague resolutions or random hustle. It comes from:

• A clear goal that stretches you

• A motivator that makes it personal

• A visible reminder to stay focused

• A reverse-engineered plan

• And the daily discipline to show up and do the work

You don’t need to do it all today. You just need to do what today requires. Then do it again tomorrow. And bring the energy.

You've got this—and if you want help mapping out your plan, let’s connect. You don’t have to build your business alone.

Need help setting your stretch goal and breaking it down into a step-by-step action plan?
Check out my Build It Better coaching program or book a one-on-one strategy call with me.