Goal setting for starters: the stairs model

Recently, when opening YouTube, it is all about millionaires and billionaires. There seems to be an unhealthy fascination with extremely wealthy people. This fascination is (mis)used by fake business gurus to sell expensive, but worthless "get-rich-quick" courses. I wrote several articles on those fake gurus and the devastating consequences on young entrepreneurs.
Some youngsters, who are about to start a business, have the dream to become a billionaire. One billion equals one thousand million, that is an extreme goal for a starter. I am not against goal-setting, on the contrary. But in my opinion, goals should be reachable. And a billion is not reachable for a starter, at least not in the near future.
That is why I advocate for the stairs model. This model sets many reachable micro-goals towards the bigger macro goal.
Imagine a staircase in a skyscraper.
The millionaire lives on the tenth floor, and the billionaire lives on level 100. You are a starter, so you start downstairs in the lobby. To succeed in business, you will have to start climbing the stairs. You do not become a billionaire before you make 100 million. You do not become a multi-millionaire before you make your first million.
Let me tell you, starting from zero to one million is a challenge. Your primary goal will be taking the first step, then, step two, three, and so on, until you reach the first platform, halfway the first floor. Let that be your first big goal. Splitting a larger goal into smaller goals makes it more attainable. It gives you positive energy every time you reach such a micro goal.
The first halfway-platform might be when your business is able to provide you with minimum wage. You now match the paygrade of an employee. But there is a big difference; it is far more rewarding to make your first salary in your own business than getting it from a boss.
Reaching floor 1 might be the point where you start making the equivalent of a well-paid employee salary. You made yourself a promotion from minimum-pay to well-paid.
Now, let's aim for floor 2. The new goal is to make money for a first employee. When you hit that goal, there is fresh motivation.
You are slowly moving up in the building. You take it step by step, floor by floor. And maybe one day, you arrive at floor 10, or even at level 100.
Good luck!

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Top 10 about the author; Erik Victor 

1. is a serial entrepreneur and started his career in Engineering
2. currently a majority shareholder in corporations in the fields of Industrial Real Estate, Wealth Management & Investment funds, and International Tax Planning
3. has a passion for the dynamics of young businesses and actively endorses several start-ups
4. is an engaged member of several think-tanks and an international conference speaker
5. has a business footprint in six countries
6. speaks five languages
7. personal life - resides in Europe
8. Erik (48) is known as a discrete and private person, a family man
9. loves to spend his limited holidays in the mountains or at sea on his yacht
10. Erik has no social media accounts



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