Setting Financial Goals for January 2026 (Without Making Yourself Miserable)

January has energy.

Fresh notebook energy.

“Right, THIS is the year I get my sh*t together” energy.

Slightly delusional optimism… but also, genuinely useful momentum.

And yet — when it comes to financial goals, a lot of smart, capable business owners either:

• avoid them completely, or

• pick a number out of the air and hope for the best.

Neither is ideal.

So let’s talk about what financial goals are actually for, how to set ones that help rather than haunt you, and why I don’t recommend starting with revenue targets at all.

(Yes, even though everyone on the internet tells you all you need is a “Six Figure Business” with “Five figure MRR”.)

First: why bother with financial goals at all?

Because not having them usually means one of two things:

1. You’re working really hard but never quite sure if it’s “working”

2. You’re making decisions based on vibes, panic, or whatever feels urgent that week

A business is more than numbers, but pure ‘vibes’ is not enough to make good decisions.

Financial goals aren’t about pressure. They’re about direction.

They help you answer questions like:

• What am I actually trying to build here?

• What does “enough” look like for me?

• What needs to change if I don’t want to work more hours?

Without goals, you’re reactive.

With them, you’re proactive and you’re making choices.

(Big difference.)

Why I don’t recommend revenue goals

You’ve probably heard the quote:

Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity.

It gets wheeled out a lot because it’s… annoyingly accurate.

Revenue feels good.

Revenue is easy to talk about.

Revenue looks impressive on Instagram.

Check out any business coach and they’ll focus on ‘top line’ - but don’t mention how much they actually take home.

Because revenue doesn’t tell you:

• whether your business is sustainable

• whether you are being paid properly

• whether the work is worth the energy it takes

I’ve seen businesses with:

• “great” turnover

• full diaries

• exhausted owners

• and very little actual reward

I’ve had this business. I’ve been this business owner. On paper the money is coming in. But it’s not staying.

Which brings me to the bit most people miss…

There are two types of profit you need to think about

1. Product / service profitability

This is the basics:

• What does it cost to deliver this thing?

• What’s left after direct costs?

This is essential, but it’s only the start.

2. Real-world business profit

This is the bit that is leftover after:

• software

• insurance

• accountancy

• marketing

• training

• subscriptions you forgot you were still paying for

• AND your own time and headspace

You can have “profitable” services on paper…and still not be earning enough overall.

I’ve been here too.

Which is why I talk a lot about this next idea.

A starting point for your goal is

Your Minimum Viable Profit (MVP)

This is one of my favourite concepts because it cuts through the noise.

Your minimum viable profit is:

• the amount your business needs to make

• to pay you properly

• cover all the boring-but-necessary costs

• and not leave you resenting it by March

This isn’t about growth for growth’s sake.It’s about sustainability.

Once you know this number, knowing what’s needed to cover the basics, and getting that done can take the pressure off.

And it can leave you space to ask much better questions:

• What needs to sell to get me there?

• What doesn’t actually move the needle?

• What am I doing that takes loads of energy for very little return?

Which leads me nicely to one of my core beliefs…

Energy is a cost (even though it’s not on the P&L)

Some income streams are:

• financially profitable

• but emotionally draining

Others are:

• lower revenue

• but high satisfaction

• and easier to repeat consistently

Neither is “wrong”.But pretending they’re the same is how burnout sneaks in.

A good financial goal takes into account:

• money

• time

• your energy

Not just the headline number.

Big goals vs smaller goals (you need both)

I like to think in layers.

The big goal

This is the “zoomed out” one:

• What do I want my business to provide overall in 2026?

• Income?

• Flexibility?

• Space?

• A stepping stone to something else?

  
  

The quarterly goals

These are where it becomes doable.

Instead of:

“I need to earn £X this year”

We look at:

• what’s realistic this quarter

• what already exists

• what needs tweaking rather than reinventing

Small goals create momentum.

Momentum builds confidence.

Confidence makes the numbers less scary.

Use last year’s numbers (they’re more helpful than you think)

Even if:

• it was messy

• it wasn’t what you hoped

• or you don’t like looking at it

Your past numbers tell a story.

They show:

• trends

• seasonality

• what’s repeatable

• what was a one-off

Financial goals work best when they’re:

• informed

• realistic

• grounded in what’s actually happened

Hope is not a strategy.

But data doesn’t have to be intimidating either.

A gentle place to start (no spreadsheets required)

Before you do anything clever, try this:

Ask yourself:

• What do I want more of in 2026?

• What do I want less of?

• What has to be true financially for that to happen?

That’s it.

That’s the starting point.

The numbers come next — and they’re much easier once you’re clear on the why.

Final thought (and a gentle nudge)

Financial goals aren’t about being “good with money”.

They’re about being intentional.

You don’t need:

• a finance degree

• a perfect plan

• or a five-year forecast

You just need clarity, a starting point, and a way to break it down.

And if you want support doing exactly that — calmly, realistically, and without the BS — that’s very much my thing.

You can get access to the planning workshop with free PDF guide here.

Or find out more about what support I can offer here

(P.S. Questions welcome. Always.)