SMART Music Goals Are Just Smart Business

As I remind you often on the podcast (and the name of this site really says it all), you as musicians are also business owners and entrepreneurs.  It is up to you to decide how you want your business to operate and to set music SMART goals that, when achieved, move you in that direction.

No matter where you are right now, it’s never too late to look at your music business and ask yourself, “Is my career really how I want it to be?” In fact, it’s your duty. You are the owner of your business, the captain of your own ship, and it is your responsibility to decide on the direction you are headed.

Creating music goals is like mapping out a journey. Your goals will determine which way you should steer your business. And from the music goals you create, you can deduce specific actions that will help you reach the desired destination.

And when you develop SMART goals, you’ll even know how to adjust when you lose focus and veer off course.

Grab Your Copy of the SMART Goals Checklist

Get Started Creating SMART Music Goals

The very best way to start, is to put some time aside and thoroughly review your business as it currently stands.  This evaluation is where all my students start in my signature course for musicians, The Indie Music Profit Plan (I provide detailed exercises for them), because it is SO foundational to all you will do next.

Here are some other questions to ask about your musician business:

Then, once that is complete, it’s time to design your future – at least your next 90 days. I suggest you use a tool called SMART goals. This is a common practice in business, but I don’t see it often applied to a musician’s business. But why not? After all, you are running a business.  Why not create SMART music goals?

How To Create SMART Music Goals

Step 1: Jot down as many music goals as you can think of for your musician business.

Step 2: Reduce these to 5 music goals.

Step 3: Turn your vague ‘wants’ into crystal clear SMART music goals.  Listen to the Podcast to find out how to make sure your music goals are SMART goals. Then use the Free SMART Goals Workbook to turn your vague music goals into SMART goals that will serve you well, moving you closer to your ultimate objectives for your musician business.

What To Keep In Mind When Creating SMART Music Goals

1. The smart goal setting process is not a rigid 5 step process. Rather, it is a checklist to ensure that the sentence you have written summarizing your goal meets ALL of the five criteria mentioned on the podcast.

2. You can run through the five steps in any order.

3. The most important part of the process is to define your measures. In other words you need to know how you will know that your goal has been achieved.

Grab Your Copy of the SMART Goals Checklist

Resources