A Guaranteed Method to Achieve Your Business Goals

Looking for a method that can help you achieve your business goals?

Successful business people and entrepreneurs rely on a variety of tools, strategies and methods as they grow and succeed in their business. There is one that has proven to be one of the top ten most successful methods in my toolbox.

I call it… “The Yesterday’s Road Method”.

This method shows me which action(s) will lead me to achieve any goal I set out to accomplish. And I want to share it with you.

But first – a little backstory is necessary.

Years ago, I ran a leasing brokerage business where we would sell other people’s money for them. They benefited from the tax shelters and made a margin.

Over the course of five years, I built the business up. It employed 65 people, was successful and made a lot of money.

After five years, I decided to sell the company and was introduced to a buyer.

The deal to sell the company comprised of a total value of 4.2 million pounds with a one-year earn-out. I received one million pounds up front and an additional 1.6 million pounds in shares. With an upfront payment of 2.6 million, all I had to do was hit the required figures over the next year to receive the next 1.6 million pounds.

What happened next was the impetus for my “Yesterday’s Road Method”.

Just about halfway through the earn-out year, we lost an essential client because they moved away from the leasing industry. Needless to say, I thought we may not make our target for that earn-out year and not receive the payout.

At that time, I still owned about 90% of the company, so it was going to cost me a lot of my personal money if we didn’t hit the target.

It was time to regroup, assess and set our course of action for the next six months. I gathered my director team together and posed a question…

“Let’s pretend it’s March 31^st of next year and we have failed to hit the earn-out figures and therefore will not receive the next payout of money.”

I told them to really feel those emotions for a minute – to be upset and angry – and when they were so aggravated from failing to meet the goal, I wanted them to answer one question:

“If only I’d…”

And then list every single idea that came into their brain.

We did this for a half an hour and then came together to go over what they wrote down and create an action plan for the next six months.

Each day from that point on, my directors and I would review the plan and then do only the things on that plan the rest of the day.

There was a plan for every single day for those six months.

You know what?

It worked like a charm.

We hit the figures and received the second payout at the end of those six months.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve refined the process, and I want to encourage you to use it, too.

It’s simple, really.

First, sit down and pretend it’s the future and you should have achieved a particular goal, but you didn’t.

Then, get emotional about it. Think what you might feel and actually feel it.

As you get yourself worked into an emotional state, ask yourself, “If only I’d?”

Use this free “If Only I'd” template to get yourself started.

Next, write down every single idea that pops into your head – all of the should haves, could haves and would haves.

Then relax. Take a walk. Grab a drink of water. Get outside in the fresh air.

And come back in and sit down and ask yourself a new question, “Yes, I achieved the goal because I…”

Use this free “I Achieved Because” template to get yourself started.

See the spin? Now we’re viewing it from the positive side.

List all the reasons you achieved the goal. What were all the “I’s” you dotted and the “t’s” you crossed? Go ahead and write them all down.

Now you have two lists.

Take each list and prioritise them. Make sure you have them in the right order. And start taking action.

Use this method for any of your goals: commercial, personal, social – anything.

The “Yesterday’s Road Method” will work for anyone because you know more about you than anyone else.

And there are the added benefits of being honest with yourself and a methodology for emptying your thoughts onto paper.

There is a downside I should mention.

The process is so good that you will be without excuses for never taking action.

One caveat – don’t edit what you write down. Just get it all on paper. All of it.

Ready for an action step?

Take action and use this method. Share it with others.

Ask your mind for the answers, and you will get them.

Best of success in all of your life adventures!