How to Set and Achieve Your Business Goals for 2026

Running a business as we head into 2026 is equal parts excitement and chaos. I’m only in my early 30s and I’ve already seen how quickly markets shift—AI launches every other week, customer expectations change overnight, and “five-year plans” rarely last five months.

Here’s the goal-setting approach that’s actually working for me and for the B2B startups and small businesses I work with. No corporate jargon, just a process you can copy.

1. Look Back Before You Look Forward

Before you write a single 2026 goal, take a hard look at what happened this year.

• What worked and why?

• Where did you waste time or budget?

• What surprised you—good or bad?

I like the simple “Start / Stop / Keep” method. Harvard Business Review explains it well: list what you should start doing, stop doing, and keep doing.

Example: Last year I doubled down on LinkedIn ads because everyone said it was a must. The ROI was terrible. That’s now on my Stop list, freeing budget for community partnerships that actually convert.

2. Pick a Framework You’ll Stick With

Whether you’re a team of two or fifty, a framework keeps goals from turning into vague wishes.

• SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Check Atlassian guide, really helpful if you have never get it done before 

• OKRs—Objectives and Key Results , I got Apptio's Playbook for you, so give it a check here.

I usually mix the two: a big inspiring objective plus a handful of measurable key results.

Example: Grow pipeline revenue by 40% by Q4 with key results like launch 3 industry webinars and increase SQL-to-opportunity conversion to 25%.

3. Break Goals Into Milestones You Can See

Big numbers look impressive on slides but they’re useless without checkpoints.

• Divide annual targets into quarterly and monthly milestones.

• Use a simple dashboard you can create it in Notion, or the one I use, this Miro OKR framework template , work well—to track progress.

I schedule a 30-minute review every Monday. It sounds small, but without it the whole team drifts.

4. Choose Metrics That Matter (Skip Vanity Metrics)

Pageviews and likes are easy to measure but don’t pay the bills.

Focus on leading indicators that show future success:

• demo requests

• qualified leads

• trial activation rate

And track lagging indicators—like revenue or churn—for the bigger picture.
HubSpot’s analytics guide article  is a solid primer if you’re not sure which numbers move your business.

     Image source: Hubspot resources

5. Build in Flexibility

2026 will throw curveballs—AI updates, new competitors, sudden customer trends.
Quarterly check-ins let you pivot without scrapping your whole plan.

Example: A SaaS client of mine started the year betting on blog content. Halfway through, we saw webinars driving 3× more pipeline. We shifted 30% of the content budget to live events and hit the annual lead goal two months early.

6. Get the Team (or Partners) Involved

Even if you’re small, don’t set goals alone. Share the “why” and let everyone help shape the “how.”
It builds accountability and surfaces ideas you’d miss solo.

Tools like  Mirro or Figma are perfect for quick virtual goal-setting workshops.

7. Celebrate Wins—Even Small Ones

Momentum matters. When you hit a milestone—first 100 customers, first €100k in pipeline—pause and celebrate.
It keeps morale high and reminds everyone the goals are more than numbers.

Quick Goal-Setting Checklist for 2026

• Review 2025 with a Start / Stop / Keep list.

• Choose SMART or OKR framework.

• Break annual goals into quarterly milestones.

• Track leading and lagging indicators.

• Review progress every week.

• Pivot when data shows a better path.

• Celebrate each milestone.

Final Thought

At 31, I’m still building my own playbook. But whether you’re running a two-person startup or a small B2B team, this process turns “we should grow” into “here’s exactly how we’ll grow—and how we’ll know it’s working.”

Set goals that are ambitious, measurable, and flexible. 2026 will move fast; faster than 2025 did, with a plan that can bend, you won’t break.

 Join the Community

If you’d like to swap ideas with other B2B founders, marketers and startup builders, join the Not Another Marketer Community—a free space where we share playbooks, templates and real-world lessons.

Join the community here and start shaping your 2026 goals alongside people who are figuring it out too.