Author: Franz Malten Buemann

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Typical business advice touts that the customer should always come first. Given that my title is hospitality director, you’d especially think that ensuring customers are having the best experience possible would always be my top priority.And it is, but I’ve discovered a more roundabout yet incredibly powerful way of getting there: putting our employees first. After helping open and run four restaurants over the past six years as co-founder of Destination Unknown Restaurants, I’ve found that focusing on employee happiness ultimately leads to better customer experiences and a stronger business. And while I’m speaking from the perspective of the restaurant industry, this advice applies across all small businesses.For us, taking care of our employees primarily means ensuring they’re fairly compensated for their work. In 2020, we moved the bulk of our full-time staff from hourly pay to a salary so they no longer have to rely on tips or worry about scheduling when it comes to their income. We looked at what our highest-paid employees in each category made under a tipping system annually, then added 5% to determine their new base salary. The increase in cost for us is offset by a significant reduction in turnover and the associated training costs.But more than the money, this move has transformed the way we relate to our employees, and the way they relate to the business. We feel invested in them and dedicated to their growth and well-being, rather than viewing them as people who could be replaced at any time like many restaurants do. They give this back to us in spades in their care for our company and customers.Depending on the state of your business, giving your employees salaries may not be realistic, but looking for other ways to truly take care of your employees, be it through other benefits, professional development, or flexible work arrangements, will only benefit your success in the long run. Here are just a few ways we’ve seen this move improve things for our customers, for our operations, and for our morale.It’s Built a Workplace Where Everyone is Working Toward the Same GoalWhen employees feel taken care of rather than taken advantage of, it removes the “not my job” mentality and instead encourages a team environment where everyone is working to make sure every customer has a great experience.At a standard, tip-based restaurant, servers are typically only worried about their section so they can make decent money for the day. At our restaurants, I see employees working together to make sure every guest has a positive experience. If a server has a slow section, they can help another employee out instead of stressing about their income. They run food to each others’ tables and are constantly checking guests’ faces to make sure they’re having a good time. I’ve also noticed everyone banding together to train new teammates since every person impacts the guest experience.We’ve further incentivized this environment of working together to offer top-notch service by adding a bonus structure on top of employee salaries. Every month, our servers and bartenders are eligible for a bonus based on good reviews on Google and Yelp. If we get great press or an award like a Michelin star, there’s an additional bonus as well. This way, instead of just doing their one job well, each employee is focused on giving guests a great experience in any way they can.It’s Helped Us Retain the Best TalentPrioritizing employee happiness has saved us so much time and money on recruiting, hiring, and training. During a time when so many businesses are facing mass resignations and staffing challenges, we have very low turnover and have had no issues hiring. During a time when so many businesses are facing mass resignations and staffing challenges, we have very low turnover and have had no issues hiring. – Kelly Phillips, Co-Founder of Destination Unknown RestaurantsYes, it was stressful when we had to pull from our savings to make payroll during the pandemic lockdowns. But I was resolute that we didn’t let anyone go because I know I’m never going to find another Elmer, another Marco, or another one of the other outstanding employees who I trust deeply. Maybe I’ll find decent replacements eventually, but it’s certainly not going to be overnight, and not without a lot of work.Longer employee retention also undoubtedly makes the business better. When people stick around for a year or more, they get to know everything there is about the position, they become more efficient, and they find ways to serve customers even better. Many of my employees are people who helped us open these restaurants, and I can’t imagine succeeding without them.It’s Created a Relationship Where Employees Want to Reinvest in the BusinessMore than just retaining talent, I’ve noticed that investing in my team means they’re excited to invest back in the future of the business.By nature of having a salary, they feel there’s potential to stay and grow here, to move up the ladder and make this role part of their career. I could see many of these people becoming managers or partners or spearheading the opening of another restaurant one day. Obviously, this is a huge asset for us when we’re ready to grow and expand. But it’s also a huge asset now because employees are excited to work on the business rather than just work for it. For instance, I’ll notice on slow days, instead of just sitting around stressing about the lack of tips, my team will feel empowered to use the time to make small improvements around the restaurant or brainstorm new ideas. It’s exciting to have employees who want to help push the business forward, rather than just coming in and doing the bare minimum of their job.It’s Reduced Stress to Create a Better EnvironmentUltimately, I think one of the biggest ways putting our employees first has led to a better customer experience is by simply reducing the amount of stress our staff feels day to day. When you walk into a business and the team isn’t happy, you can tell immediately. At so many tip-based restaurants in particular, servers are doing math in the middle of their shift to figure out if they can pay their bills, which takes away from their focus on the customer. Meanwhile, our staff has more peace of mind, and the guests can feel that, making them excited to come back again and again. You can see that in how our businesses are doing today: We recently had a record sales week, and Destino is one of the highest-rated restaurants in Washington, DC.Your people really shape the identity of your business. – Kelly Phillips, Co-Founder of Destination Unknown RestaurantsYour people really shape the identity of your business. When they’re not well taken care of, that will reflect in how people feel when they interact with your business, even if it’s in unintentional or subtle ways. But when they feel prioritized, they’ll give that energy back to the customer.This whole experience has been a powerful reminder to me that, yes, my job is to take care of customers. But, even before that, my job is to take care of my employees, because I can’t do any of this without them.

Pinterest marketing is incredibly effective. 
Marketers target Pinterest users by sharing content that’s too irresistible for us to pass up. And with over 433 million people on Pinterest, why wouldn’t marketers want to be on the platform? Not to mention 83% of users have made a purchase from content they’ve seen on Pinterest. So, how can your business use Pinterest as a marketing tactic to help improve your brand awareness and conversions?

In this guide, we’ll cover the answer to that question as well as how Pinterest works, which Pinterest marketing strategies you should implement, how small businesses can benefit from the platform, and which tools you can use to ensure your Pinterest marketing strategy works for your business. But first, we’ll review what the platform is and how it works — let’s get started.

 
Users add, or Pin, their chosen content to boards with a common theme to keep it organized so other users can discover new content related to their interests.
If you haven’t yet opened a Pinterest account, learn more about that process here. Once you sign up, you can begin sharing content and, therefore, social media marketing on the platform.
To make the most of the platform, upload your business’s content from your computer or mobile device, Pin content you find on the platform, and add content you find on the web using the Pinterest browser button.
Engagement is key. Follow the boards of your friends and competitors, “Like,” and comment on others’ Pins, re-Pin (or repost) content, and share links to your website and blog in your Pins.

It’s important to note there are personal and business accounts on Pinterest. Choosing a business account will allow you to gain access to Pinterest Analytics and other features including a visual search tool, a native video player, and the ability to run Pinterest ads if you choose — making the platform ideal for marketers.
Now, let’s review some Pinterest marketing strategies to help you improve your influence and impact on your audience.

 

These strategies represent ways to add Pinterest to your greater marketing efforts. Here are a few benefits of using Pinterest for marketing.
1. Distribute your content.
85% of Pinners search for and prefer visual content. This makes Pinterest a uniquely strong place to distribute all types of content, including written blog content. Unlike Instagram, users can click-through live links.
On Pinterest, you share content on Pinterest boards. Boards save all of your Pins and distribute your content for your followers to explore. You can have as many boards as you want, and they can be organized into themes, ideas, plans, or types of inspiration to make it easy for your audience to find the content they’re looking for.
You can also invite people to join your boards — which would make your board a “group board” — if you want other contributors to add content they believe works with your board’s theme. This is a great way to increase engagement and interaction on your profile.
2. Build a community.
Online communities bring together like-minded people and serve as helpful hubs for businesses.
With a Pinterest community, you can count on your followers and fans to interact with your boards, consume your content, and make their way to your website — driving traffic in the process.
There are millions of people who use Pinterest every month. By treating your Pinterest board as a two-way street through which you can interact with and engage users (not like a one-way billboard), you can build a loyal community of Pinterest users who may become customers, too.
How to Build Your Pinterest Following
Although you can search for and add specific friends via their name, Facebook account, and other identifiers, this is time-consuming and would make it nearly impossible to substantially grow your following.
Instead, consider the following methods to build out your base of fans and followers on Pinterest.

Promote your Pinterest account via your other social networks.
Follow accounts you believe would want to follow you back.
Watch what your competitors are doing to increase their base of followers and learn from their techniques.
Use keywords in your posts (we’ll discuss these tactics in more detail later).
Ask influencers to re-post some of your content to gain the attention of their followers.
Pay for a Pinterest ads account to run ads on the platform.

3. Educate customers.
Pinterest is rife with tutorials, infographics, how-tos, and links to additional educational content. Given its propensity for visual content, it’s a powerful channel to educate and engage customers.
While creating and sharing content for your Pinterest profile and marketing to users, be sure to keep your target audience in mind.
Similar to the way you would when creating new products, developing your branding, or posting to other social networks, you want to ensure you’re pushing out content that appeals to your target audience, current customers, and buyer personas on Pinterest.
You can do this in a few different ways:

Research your buyer personas to determine what type of content would be most helpful and appealing to them.
Survey and ask your current followers and customers for feedback on what they want from your company on Pinterest.
Look at what your competitors are doing well (or not) to help you think about new ways to push out your content and make it unique.
View the boards of your current followers and customers to aid in your understanding of who your audience is and what they’re most interested in.

4. Drive website traffic and boost online sales.
Pinterest, unlike Instagram, allows you to link your visual content to another website — namely, your website. This feature allows you to share both written and visual content and direct users back to your website in the process. 
This is a powerful addition to your marketing as it can boost online sales, too. Many brands use Pinterest to showcase product images while sharing content.
For example, this board, created by the clothing company Madewell, serves as a source of travel inspiration and is paired with real products they sell to get their audience excited about their brand, the lifestyle they promote, and the idea of purchasing some clothing.
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By integrating Pinterest on your website, you’ll be able to easily drive traffic from one of your web pages directly to your Pinterest profile so your leads and customers can begin viewing your content in seconds (and hopefully follow you!).
These Pinterest widgets and buttons allow your website visitors to interact with your Pinterest page via your website and give them the ability to view and follow your profile or go directly to a specific Pin or board. The network’s widget builder helps you quickly customize, create, and add this feature to your site.

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These 9 Pinterest marketing strategies hold value for businesses of any size, in any industry. This universal approach to marketing is one reason Pinterest is such a valuable social media tool.
1. Sign up for a business account.
To market to your target audience, you should create a Pinterest business account. As mentioned, this free account provides you with access to Pinterest Analytics (which we’ll review in more detail shortly) and other handy marketing features such as a profile that clearly states you’re a business, Pinterest widgets, and Pinterest tag. If you already have a Pinterest account and want to convert it into a Pinterest business account, you can also do that without losing any of your content or work.
Note: If you’re looking to enhance your business account and run ads on Pinterest, you can do so by upgrading your account — and setting up your method of payment because this part of Pinterest is not free — to target your audience more aggressively with the help of the platform’s Ads Manager.
2. Choose the right categories for your content.
By choosing the right category for your content to be shared in, your Pins and boards will become more searchable for users looking to discover content similar to that of your business. Users can search for specific categories on Pinterest or simply go to the “Categories” section of any profile on the platform to view all content related to the topic they’re searching for.

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Some of the most popular Pinterest categories include travel, health and wellness, and beauty.
3. Use unique images and videos.
Similar to other social networks, Pinterest contains a plethora of images and videos. Not only do you want to ensure you’re posting images and videos that will help you promote your brand and market your products/ services, but you’ll also want to ensure they stand out against all of the others on the platform. Otherwise, why would a user choose to follow you over your competition?
Here are some ways to ensure you’re sharing great and unique visual content on Pinterest:

Create and share branded videos to promote your products and company. Pinterest users watch nearly 1 billion videos per day on the platform.
Share images and videos that show your products in action so viewers can more easily envision themselves using them.
Avoid excessive blank (or white) space in your images — images with 30% less blank space in the background are pinned most.
Create videos between 30-90 seconds long because they’re proven to have the highest performance.
Create specific boards to share images of your company’s most helpful data visualizations and infographics if you have them for your audience to use as resources for their businesses.

4. Leverage keywords.
By using keywords throughout your profile, posts, Pins, and boards, you’ll be more likely to organically appear in users’ feeds and searches. Keywords and phrases on Pinterest are related to specific niches being searched by users.
For example, if you sell suitcases, you might use keywords and phrases like “vacation” or “going on a trip” throughout your profile and Pins. This way, when a user searches one of those terms, your profile and images of your suitcases will appear on their feeds.
When performing keyword research on Pinterest, start by searching terms related to your niche within the platform itself.
In the image below, I searched for the term “travel” and not only found content related to that niche, but Pinterest also provided a number of related keywords at the top of the screen. This tells you what other related terms users are searching for to support your research.
You can also use the plugin Keywords Everywhere to see the search volume for terms on Pinterest. This helps you understand the level of demand for the keywords you’re using.
Here are some locations in which you can insert keywords on Pinterest to improve your chances of organically ranking through search:

Bio and profile
Pin descriptions
Board titles
Board descriptions
Image-Alt-Text

For those of you who choose to pay for Pinterest ads, there’s also an option to use the platform’s keyword targeting tool to help you reach your audience through your ads.
5. Share your content on other social networks.
To promote your Pinterest account and content, you should share your Pins, images, and videos in other areas to improve your chances of being seen and followed. For example, you can claim your business’ Pinterest account on Etsy and YouTube so your followers can easily learn about the other platforms you’re on and how they can view more of your content. Additionally, claiming your account will provide access to analytics and data on all of these Pins so you can see the other networks your audience is most interested in.
You can also link your Pinterest profile to your Facebook and Google accounts so you can easily add and find friends, share content across networks, speed up your login on all accounts, and backup your profile in case you lose or forget your password details.
6. Follow, engage, and interact with other accounts.
When you follow and interact with other Pinterest users and their accounts, you’re able to initiate and maintain personal relationships between them and your business. This type of engagement has the potential to make your followers feel a level of loyalty towards your brand that keeps them coming back to your profile for inspiration, ideas, and to buy products.
Here are four ways you can build strong and lasting relationships with your target audience through your marketing tactics on Pinterest:

Follow new accounts of users who state or show they have interests related to the work your business does and the content you post (you can do this by searching keywords and hashtags or reviewing the people who follow your current audience members).
Re-Pin, Like, and comment on the content your followers and fans share.
Respond to the messages your followers write on your content to personalize their experience on your profile and make them feel heard.
Create engaging posts that showcase your expertise in your industry, teach your followers how to do something, or get them involved (in a giveaway or contest for example).

7. Use social media best practices.
When using Pinterest, be sure to follow the same social media practices you would on other social networks. Examples of this include remembering to interact and engage with your followers, regularly post to (and update) your account, and avoid blatant self-promotion that feels pushy and forced to your audience.
Additionally, you can focus on the following five best practices to boost engagement on Pinterest.

Encourage your followers to feature your brand in their content (and maybe offer to repost them or re-Pin their content if they do).
Provide your audience with an incentive — such as a prize — for choosing to follow and interact with you as well as create posts featuring your products and branding.
Offer your audience discount codes, coupons, as well as details about your latest products, and updates to existing products to keep them coming back to your profile.
Ensure your content is helpful and useful for your audience members — all content should have a purpose and/ or meaning.

8. Analyze your results.
If you’re putting all of this effort into marketing on Pinterest, it’s probably safe to assume you’re going to want to ensure the work you’re doing improves your business’ conversions and brand awareness.
So, you’ll need to analyze the results of your Pinterest marketing efforts to keep track of your referral traffic, number of engagements, leads generated, and anything else you’re interested in learning more about. The easiest way to do this is through Pinterest Analytics.
Pinterest Analytics provides you with four major types of information including:

Metrics about your profile as a whole.
Insights about the number of people who save and re-Pin your content.
Platform metrics to understand how people interact with your content via both desktop or mobile.
Data about your most popular Pins.

Pinterest for Small Businesses
If you have a small business, you may be wondering whether or not putting all of this effort and time into implementing Pinterest marketing strategies is actually worth it.
Short answer? Yes, it is.
Pinterest is one of the more versatile, affordable, and impactful marketing tools for businesses that are looking to convert more leads, drive traffic to their websites, and increase brand awareness to use.
Plus, Pinterest users have the highest purchase intent of any other social media users. Let’s discuss some more ways small businesses, like yours, can benefit from creating a presence on Pinterest.
Tell a visual story.
Pinterest helps you tell a visual story about your brand. Through pictures and videos, you’re able to show — rather than tell — your audience what you’re about as a company, the things you value, what and who you support, and the types of products and services you sell.
Pinterest provides you with a unique and engaging way to introduce your small business to platform users.
Humanize your brand.
Social media of any kind can help you humanize your brand and give it some personality — Pinterest is no exception. On the platform, you’re able to reach out directly to your audience members, chat with them one-on-one or as a group, and assist them through any difficulties or roadblocks they encounter while doing business with you.
You’re also able to show your audience and followers how much their support and business mean to you through giveaways, videos of your behind the scenes work, latest company news, product information, promotions, and discount codes.
Creating and maintaining these business-to-customer routines early on humanizes your brand, sets the tone for what your company will be known for, and shows customers how you intend to grow with them in mind.
Feature your blog posts.
You can use Pinterest to feature your inbound marketing efforts such as your blog posts or content offers. For example, you can Pin a photo or video to a board and include a link to blog post about that visual content. This not only promotes your blog posts but it also drives traffic directly to your website.

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Display your work and showcase your expertise.
Pinterest is a great way for your small business to display your work and showcase your expertise in your industry. Examples include Pins with images and videos of your work, infographics, data visualizations, and blog posts.
Due to the fact you might not be a recognized brand yet, doing this is important. That’s because as your business grows and you become more well-known, you’ll be more likely to be recognized as an industry leader and a business with helpful and applicable content for audience members.
Drive traffic to your website.
Pinterest is a great way to drive traffic to your business’ website — this will help your small business generate leads and conversions. You can share URLs in your profile as well as on your Pins and boards. For example, you may choose to post content with a link to your email sign up page, “About Us” page, or blog.
Conduct market research.
Pinterest is a great resource for conducting market research. It’s especially helpful for small businesses that may not have a large following quite yet or the experience to know exactly what their audience members expect and want in terms of content.
With Pinterest, you can easily review what your competitors — and the companies in your industry that are more established than yours — are doing. This will allow you to discover which tactics they’re using on the platform and see what’s working for their audience members. You can also look at the content your audience Pins as well as who they’re following and interacting with.

Pinterest Marketing Tools
There are a number of tools you can use to help you reach your target audience and engage users on Pinterest. There are three major types of resources to help you accomplish this — account management tools, image design and creation tools, and follower count and community growth tools.
1. Social Media Management Tools
Social media management tools help you schedule posts and organize your content on any social network, including Pinterest, prior to actually posting it.
This way, you can ensure everything is shared and pushed out as planned. Social media management tools often have analytics capabilities as well, which you can use in tandem with Pinterest Analytics.
Some popular social media and Pinterest management tools include:

Hootsuite gives you the ability to schedule your Pins in advance, gain insights into your data and analytics, and measure your results on Pinterest.
Tailwind provides you with analytics about your Pinterest profile, a data reporting system to help you determine what’s doing well with your audience members, and advice about the best days and times to share your Pins.
Sprout Social allows you to take advantage of a range of features to help you reach your target audience and buyer personas through Pinterest. These include platform analytics, engagement tools, post-scheduling capabilities, and details about the type of content your audience wants.

Pinterest has also launched its own scheduling tool, allowing Business users to pre-schedule their content within the platform.
2. Pinterest Image Design and Creation Tools
Pinterest image design and creation tools allow you to design, edit, create and publish professional-looking photos and images for the platform (along with any other social media site and your website).
Considering Pinterest is a visual social network where users discover eye-catching, beautiful, and creative images and videos, it’s important your content looks perfect so you can attract more followers and engagement on your profile.
The following three tools are great for anyone who doesn’t necessarily have a background in fields like graphic design or art but still wants to share unique and polished content on their profile.

Canva allows you to create professional images for Pinterest with over 1 million images, graphics, templates, and icons available to choose from.
Pablo provides you with a way to create beautiful images for Pinterest in under 30 seconds with easy-to-use effects and templates.
PicMonkey gives you the ability to create and edit images and has advanced image editing tools such as masking, mirroring, and double exposure.
AdobeExpress offers intuitive tools and templates, and Photoshop-quality effects to create expertly-designed images for users of all skill levels.

3. Follower Count and Community Growth Tools
Follower count and community growth tools on Pinterest are available to help you promote your profile and content as well as increase your number of followers and engagements. The following three tools were created to help you accomplish this specifically on Pinterest.

PINGROUPIE provides you with the number of Pins, users, and followers on different group boards on the platform so you can determine whether or not you want to join and Pin your content on it.
Loop88 helps you to create shareable content they’ve determined is ideal for Pinterest to help you attract your target audience and grow your following.

Start Marketing On Pinterest
Pinterest is a powerful marketing tool with the ability to help you organically increase brand awareness, boost conversions, increase sales, and create long-lasting relationships with your target audience and buyer personas.
You can achieve all of these things for your business by following the Pinterest marketing strategies we reviewed and incorporating the available tools and resources to help you succeed as a business on the platform.
So, sign up for a business account and begin creating unique and engaging content to market to your customers and followers on Pinterest.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in January 2012 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

One common question you’ll get asked in an interview is, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
When it’s coming from a hiring manager, we usually have an answer ready. When it comes to your personal life, do you have a five-year plan?

In the most stressful times in my life, planning brings me great joy and peace. But who says you have to wait for the stress to come? In this article, we’ll outline why you should create a five-year plan and how to build one you’ll follow through with.

Benefits of a 5-Year Plan
Whether professional or personal, a five-year plan can serve as a reset for your life. Who doesn’t like a fresh start?
After all, that’s why New Year’s resolutions are so popular. They give us something to look forward to. There’s also something to be said about writing out a detailed plan. It can be a great motivator to put something in motion.
Personally, I’ve said countless times that I want to be fluent in Spanish. However, it’s not until I write a detailed plan for how that it will become real. 
This brings us to our next point: clarity. Sometimes, a path seems scarier than it actually is because we don’t actually know what it looks like.
Creating a plan is like pointing a flashlight in a dark road. A more accurate description is that it turns that dark, twisty road into a clear path forward. Doesn’t mean there won’t be any bumps in the road but at least you’ll know exactly where you’ll land and how to get there.
Lastly, a five-year plan can serve as a reminder of what’s at stake. In your daily life, it can be easy to forget that every day, we’re shaping our future.
The decisions we make today affect what our life will look like years from now. Having a visual reminder of this can keep you focused on your goals.
5-Year Plan Example
Using our downloadable five-year plan template, we were able to create a detailed five-year plan, broken down by year, process, success metric, benefit, and resources. 

How to Make a 5-Year Plan
1. Know your “why.”
This is singlehandedly the most important step in creating a plan.
A clear “why” is your North star. It’s what will guide you throughout your journey and motivate you to keep moving forward.
It can take a while to narrow this down. You’ll know you have the answer when it’s linked to a core value or belief. Otherwise, you have to keep digging.
One way to get to this is by just asking the question over and over again. For instance:

I want to learn American Sign Language. Why?
To become more connected to another culture. Why?
To broaden my perspective. Why?
To be a more understanding, tolerant, and inclusive person.

Now, we’ve taken something at surface level and brought it down to a personal, human level.
2. Consider every aspect of your life.
When creating a five-year plan, you want to review your life as a whole and plan accordingly.
It’s not enough to plan for your professional career and not your personal one. After all, one impacts the other.
There are the core four that you should always have:

Career
Health (physical and mental)
Finances
Relationships

Depending on your goals, you can also add categories for religious or spiritual development, recreation, and service.
Don’t forget bucket-list items – have you been wanting to learn a new language? Or perhaps you want to visit every country in the world. Bucket list items are perfect for five-year plans because you can spread them out over a long period of time and have fun tracking your progress.

3. Make it S.M.A.R.T.
To give you the best chances of success, every goal should pass the SMART test. That means being:

Specific – The vaguer your goal, the harder it will be to reach.
Measurable – You must be able to quantify your goals because otherwise, how will you know you’ve reached it? This doesn’t always mean assigning a figure to it, it can also be a feeling.
Achievable – While it’s good to push yourself beyond your limits, your goal should be attainable and realistic based on where you stand currently.
Relevant – How does this goal fit within the bigger picture? Does it align with your personal values? What’s the impact on your life?
Time-bound – It’s not enough to say it’s a five-year plan, you have to create a timeline and set milestones at specific points within your journey.

4. Start with the big ideas then narrow your focus.
When you’re first writing your five-year plan, start with the big idea from each category.
If you don’t know where to start, use this: “In five years, I want to be [fill in the blank].” This will help you figure out goals that you may not have vocalized before.
From there, break it down into bite-size pieces.
This means turning your ideas into action items that can be executed over a certain period of time, specifically from five years to monthly milestones.
Research will play a big role in this, as you will need to learn how to achieve some of your goals. For instance, say your five-year financial plan is to be debt-free.
That’s the big idea but you need to dive deeper. How exactly will you achieve that? Your research will likely suggest setting a budget, paying off your most expensive loan first, consolidating your debts, and more.
Once you know the key action items, you can break them down by year, month, and even week.
This is a S.M.A.R.T. goal in action. The more specific you are, the better you will be at fulfilling your five-year plan.
If you want to add more structure to your life and play a more active role in shaping your future, consider creating a five-year plan. While things may not pan out exactly as you’ve expected, you’ll be surprised at how close you’ll get to what you wished for.