It’s that time of year when many of us start thinking about New Year’s resolutions and personal goals. But as a B&B owner (or aspiring one), it’s just as important to reflect on your business and set clear, actionable goals to help it be successful in the year ahead.

When I ran my B&B, I often had a mental wish list of things I’d like to achieve, but they rarely turned into reality because I didn’t write them down or create a plan to make them happen. Over the years, I’ve learned that the real magic lies in process goals—small, consistent actions that build momentum and make achieving your bigger goals much easier.

In fact, process goals have helped me in my personal life too. When it comes to my strength training, I’m a reluctant ( a really reluctant ) exerciser. Big goals like “getting stronger” or “improving endurance” always felt overwhelming, so I’d end up doing nothing. That’s when I adopted the mantra, “do something rather than nothing.” Instead of aiming for perfection, I focus on small, manageable steps, like doing two strength training sessions a week or just fitting in 10 minutes of walking briskly round the kitchen - something my dogs really hate for some reason 🙄

This approach keeps me consistent - I've been more or less exercising consistently for over 3.5 years now. The same principle applies to your B&B goals—process goals are the small actions that can lead to big changes.

Step 1: Review the Past Year

Before setting goals for 2025, take a moment to look back at 2024. To plan where you want to go, you need to know where you’re starting.

Know Your Numbers

Start by looking at your key stats from last year:

• How many nights did you sell?
• How much was your turnover?
• How much were your expenses?
• How many nights were booked directly?
• How many nights were booked through the OTAs?
• What’s the average time between people booking and staying?
• What’s your cancellation rate?
• How many reviews did you receive?

If you don’t already track these, make it a process goal to start this year! For example, commit to reviewing your stats monthly or quarterly.

Look at your positive reviews

Take time to have a good look through your reviews, and smile file, if you have one.

• Are there any themes that emerge?
• Is there something you’re doing that your guests really love?
• If this is the case, can you do more of it or do more along similar lines?
• Are you including it in your marketing? On your website, your newsletter on social media?

I'd also suggested having a good trawl through the reviews of your competitors.

These can be a great way to spark ideas for your own business.

Look at your negative reviews

None of us like to dwell on the negatives, but these can be as much a source of inspiration as your positive reviews.

Again, if something keeps coming up, are there actions you can take to reduce the negative feedback or is there something you can do to market your business differently.

Negative feedback is quite often a result of a difference in a guest’s expectation of the experience they will have at a B&B and reality. So make sure you’re accurately portraying the guest experience in your marketing - bed and breakfast website photos and copy, your social media etc.

Read more on how to respond to a negative review about your bed and breakfast here 

Step 2: Set SMART Goals with Process Goals

The most effective goals are those that follow the SMART framework:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Let’s look at an example to show how you might develop a SMART goal for your B&B, incorporating process goals to make it more actionable.

You might start out with a goal like:
"We want more direct bookings."

Make It Specific

The first step is to clarify what you actually want to achieve. A more specific version might be:
"Grow the number of direct bookings by creating an email newsletter list and posting more on social media."

Make It Measurable

To track your progress, you’ll need measurable targets:
"Increase the number of direct bookings from 40% to 60% by posting daily on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, and sending an email newsletter once a month."

Make It Achievable

It’s important not to overwhelm yourself. If you’re running your B&B on your own, trying to use all social media platforms and sending monthly newsletters may be too much. Process goals help here by focusing your efforts on realistic actions.

"Increase the number of direct bookings from 40% to 60% by posting twice a week on Instagram and Facebook, and sending an email newsletter once every two months."

This process goal simplifies your workload, making it manageable while still moving you toward your overall objective.

Make It Relevant

Your goal should align with your broader vision for your business. Knowing your “why” keeps you motivated and ensures the actions you’re taking are meaningful.

"Increase the number of direct bookings from 40% to 60% by posting twice a week on Instagram and Facebook, and sending an email newsletter once every two months. Because increasing direct bookings will give us more control over our business, boost profits, and mean we enjoy hosting our guests more."

Make It Time-Bound

Finally, set a deadline. A time-bound goal creates urgency and helps you prioritise.

"Increase the number of direct bookings from 40% to 60% by the end of June 2025. We will do this by posting twice a week on Instagram and Facebook, and sending an email newsletter once every two months, starting on 15th January 2025. Because increasing direct bookings will give us more control over our business, boost profits, and mean we enjoy hosting our guests more."

Why Process Goals Make a Difference

By breaking your SMART goal into smaller, consistent actions, you focus on the process rather than being overwhelmed by the end result. Instead of aiming vaguely for “more direct bookings,” you’ll have clear, actionable steps to follow. Posting on social media twice a week and sending a newsletter every two months are achievable process goals that keep you on track while reducing stress.

These smaller actions make it easier to stay consistent, which is what ultimately drives results. With process goals, you’re not just working toward the outcome—you’re building habits that will sustain your success long-term.

Step 3: Try 90-Day Goals

Instead of setting goals for the entire year, consider working in 90-day chunks. Focusing on shorter periods allows you to tackle fewer goals at a time, giving you space to concentrate and adapt as needed.

Example 90-Day Goals:

• Set up an email list and landing page by the end of January.
• Post eight times on Instagram and Facebook by the end of March.
• Review direct booking stats for Q1 and adjust your plan.

This approach keeps the pressure low and the motivation high—you’ll see results sooner, which makes it easier to stay on track.

Step 4: Build Your Action Plan

Once you’ve set your SMART goal, the next step is to break it down into actionable steps. This is where process goals come in—they help you focus on the small, consistent actions that will get you closer to your bigger goal.

Some goals, however, can feel overwhelming because they’re so big. For example, if your initial goal for the year is to set up a B&B, that’s a huge goal with many moving parts. Trying to tackle it all at once can quickly lead to frustration or procrastination.

Break Big Goals Into Projects

When faced with a large goal, it helps to divide it into smaller, manageable projects. Each project can then have its own set of process goals. For example, if your big goal is to increase direct bookings, you might break it into:

1. Social Media Project
2. Email Newsletter Project

Example: Email Newsletter Project

To make the Email Newsletter Project achievable, you could set process goals for each step, complete with deadlines:

• Sign up for Mailchimp email software by 15/01/2025.
• Create a distribution list on Mailchimp by 20/01/2025.
• Design a landing page on Mailchimp by 25/01/2025.
• Generate a sign-up link and add it to your email signature by 30/01/2025.
• Add a sign-up box to your website by 01/02/2025.
• Brainstorm content ideas for your first three newsletters by 05/02/2025.

Each of these process goals is a small, actionable step that contributes to the success of the project without feeling overwhelming.

Why Process Goals Work

By focusing on one action at a time, you build momentum and make consistent progress without being bogged down by the enormity of the big goal. Process goals also help you measure success along the way—every completed action is a step closer to achieving your overall vision.

Read this blog post to find out more about how to create a content plan for your B&B Marketing.

Step 5: Review and Adjust

As with my strength training, consistency is the secret to success, and that’s why process goals are so powerful. By focusing on “doing something rather than nothing,” you’ll avoid getting stuck in perfectionism or procrastination.

I recommend adopting the 90-day review model—check in every three months to evaluate your progress. Are your process goals helping you move towards your bigger goals? Is there anything you need to tweak? Goals evolve, and that’s okay. The important thing is to keep taking consistent action.

Incorporating Process Goals into Your Everyday Life

As I mentioned earlier, process goals aren’t just for business. They’ve made a huge difference in my personal life too, particularly with my strength training and cardio. I’m a reluctant exerciser, and big goals like “getting stronger” used to feel so daunting that I’d end up doing nothing at all. By shifting my focus to small actions—like committing to two sessions a week or even just 10 minutes on busy days—I’ve stayed consistent and made real progress.

The same principle applies to your B&B. Whether your goal is to increase direct bookings, improve your reviews, or launch your B&B for the first time, process goals help you stay on track without getting overwhelmed.

Make 2025 Your Year of Progress
This year, why not give process goals a go. They’re simple, achievable, and they work—whether you’re running a B&B, starting a new one, or just trying to stick to a workout routine.

If you’re in the process of setting up your B&B, don’t forget that a good business plan is key. My online course includes an example business plan to get you started—check it out here.