Does your business have anti-goals? It should!

Must be the rebel in me, but as soon as I stumbled across the idea of business anti-goals from Andrew Wilkinson of Meta Lab, I was hooked. It’s lovely to always have those goals of where you want to go. The vision board with the Ferrari looks heavenly beside the seascape, right?

But what if you looked at your business and your life from the position of anti-goals?

Well, you should totally read this article on business anti-goals. They are the things you define as your worst possible “no way!” outcome with how you spend your day. Probably easy to apply the same to a project, business or larger scale concept.

ANYWAY- someone asked me what my business anti-goals were in the Freelance Jungle recently.

I am proud that it prompted me to think (thank you Sukina!) and I am pretty chuffed with what I defined.

So here they are- my business anti-goals.

My worst business day looks like:

1) Too much work
2) Clingy clients wanting attention over help
3) Wring my hands about late invoices
4) 5 minute experts calling the shots
5) Inefficient use of time
6) Being tied to tasks without a single moment to play
7) Micromanagement
8) An office job

Therefore my business anti goals are-

1) Remember work is the sideline, not the whole ballgame. What do I want on my tombstone?
2) Instil autonomy in my clients and help them manage their business without needing to meet with me or phone me to get life sorted. Plan to be proud of the day they no longer need me.
3) Be unapologetic about chasing invoices. Recognise an agreement is an agreement and it’s not me that’s letting the team down when payments are late. Fire anyone that thinks differently.
4) Know myself, my business and my goals well enough that it doesn’t matter what someone else is doing. My arse on the line, not theirs
5) If it can be done on Zoom or email, do that. Time-boxing email and contact. Use tools to lighten the load instead of being a scrooge
6) Allow for time estimations to include spill over by scheduling fallow hours into my week. Make time to play and for disaster in equal measure.
7) Only work with clients that view me as an equal as opposed to a lackey. ‘In service does not mean subservience’.
8) Surprise and delight people with the work product and the business acumen and they won’t give a shit about either of us playing the game. Create a safe space where ideas and creativity rules over “how it should be done”

So that may also help you understand me if you choose to work with me in future.

What are your business anti-goals? Feel free to share them in the comments below!