Inspired by: Tony Robbins’ Rapid Planning Method (result, purpose, massive action plan); Jim Rohn’s teaching that who you become matters more than what you get. Repackaged in our own words for UK founders.
No links in this guide are paid. New Business HQ is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Dan Martell, Tony Robbins, the Jim Rohn organisation or any author mentioned. Ideas are summarised and repackaged in our own words; short quotes are attributed with a link to their source.
“Grow the business” is a wish, not a goal. Your first year goes better when you know what you are aiming for, why it matters, and what you will do each week to get there.
Start with the result
Tony Robbins’ Rapid Planning Method begins with a simple question: what specific result do I want? It is a planning approach built around outcomes rather than to-do lists. A good result is clear enough that you will know when you have reached it.
For your first year, pick no more than three results. For example:
- “Reach a steady monthly income that covers my personal bills.”
- “Win 30 regular customers.”
- “File my first Self Assessment return on time without stress.”
Know your purpose
The second step in Robbins’ method is purpose: why does this result matter to you? Your purpose is what keeps you going when things get hard. “Earn more money” is weak. “Earn enough to leave my zero-hours job and be home for my kids after school” is strong.
Write a few lines of purpose under each result. Keep them somewhere you will see them.
Build your action plan
The third step is a plan of action: the few things that will make the biggest difference. You do not need every step mapped out. You need the next few, and the willingness to change course if something is not working.
For “Win 30 regular customers”, the plan might be: build a simple website, set up a Google Business Profile, ask every happy customer for a review, and attend two local networking events a month.
Break the year into quarters
A year is too long to plan in detail. Split it into four 90-day blocks. For each quarter, set one main focus that moves your yearly results forward.
- Quarter one: get set up properly and win your first customers.
- Quarter two: find out which marketing works and do more of it.
- Quarter three: improve your systems so you are not doing everything by hand.
- Quarter four: review the year, prepare for tax, and plan year two.
If you take card payments, getting set up in quarter one could include comparing options with our find my card reader quiz.
Set goals for who you are becoming
Jim Rohn taught that the biggest benefit of setting goals is not what you get, but who you become while chasing them. A first-year founder might set personal goals alongside business ones: get comfortable with selling, learn basic bookkeeping, or speak at a local event.
“Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”Jim Rohn, quoted on jimrohn.com, “Work Harder on Yourself”
Review often, adjust freely
Goals are a guide, not a contract. Do a short weekly review and a longer monthly one:
- Weekly: what did I do towards my results? What will I do next week?
- Monthly: am I on track? Do I need to change the plan, or the goal?
- Quarterly: what did I learn? What is the focus for the next 90 days?
A first-year example
Grace has just started a bookkeeping service for local tradespeople in Cardiff. Her first-year results are 15 monthly clients, her own income covering her rent, and a simple, repeatable onboarding process. Her purpose is to stop commuting and work flexibly. In quarter one she focuses on her first five clients through personal contacts. In quarter two she tests a local Facebook group and a referral offer, and drops the one that does not work. By her quarterly review she can see clear progress and knows what to change.
Common goal-setting mistakes
- Too many goals. Ten goals usually means no focus. Three is plenty.
- Goals with no numbers or dates. “More customers” is vague. “30 regular customers by next October” is clear.
- Only money goals. Include goals for your skills, your health and your time off, too.
- Never looking at them again. A goal you do not review is just a wish written down.
- Treating a missed goal as failure. Missing a target tells you something. Use it to adjust your plan.
Write your one-page plan
Put everything on a single page: your three results, your purpose for each, your four quarterly focuses and your review dates. Print it or pin it where you work. One page you look at every week is worth more than a detailed business plan sitting in a folder.
Your goal-setting checklist
- Write up to three results for your first year.
- Add a purpose under each one.
- List the few actions that will make the biggest difference.
- Split the year into four 90-day focuses.
- Add one or two personal growth goals.
- Put weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews in your calendar.
Further reading
If you want to go deeper, these books cover the original ideas (we earn nothing if you buy them):
- Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within
- Jim Rohn, The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle
More free guides
- Founder mindset & confidence
- Time management & focus
- Avoiding burnout & wellbeing
- Money confidence for founders
- Building good habits
- Fitness & nutrition for busy founders
- Dealing with setbacks
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Last updated 29 October 2026. General information only, not professional advice.