In 2012 author Neil Gaiman gave the commencement address at the University of the Arts. In it, he described his ultimate goal as a mountain - and how, whenever faced with a decision to make about his career, he would consider whether it would bring him closer to the mountain or farther away.

“A distant mountain. My goal. And I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain I would be all right. And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it was taking me towards or away from the mountain.”

As a business owner you are walking so many different paths to get to your destination. You need to consider inventory, services, marketing, bookkeeping, relevancy, employee satisfaction, business model, etc. It can be overwhelming to think what your next “best” step might be.

But the essentials of what Gaiman discusses in his speech apply to you too.

If you sit down and make a set of “ultimate goals” for your company you will have an easier time making decisions on how to spend your time and money. You’ll be able to see more clearly if the decision you’re making is taking you towards the mountain, or away from it.