February 27, 2025 • 21 mins
In this episode, host Rachel Foster discusses the importance of intentional planning in achieving career and business goals. She outlines a five-step process for effective planning, emphasizes the need for flexibility, and discusses the importance of overcoming challenges.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:13):
Welcome to Imperfect Genius, the podcast that provides technical advice on effectivelynavigating the business development journey and offers advice on building successful
careers in the tech industry.
I'm your host, Rachel Foster, a tech professional, educator, and entrepreneur.
Today's episode is all about planning, but not just any planning.
We're talking about charting a course to your goals in a way that's intentional,strategic, and actionable.
(00:39):
I mentioned in the previous podcast episode that I am
working on a plan to sync the podcast content with the themes for my community and themonthly theme for February, even though we're at the end of February, the monthly theme
for February is charting, of course.
And so we're going to talk about planning.
(00:59):
So have you ever set a goal, maybe a career pivot, launching a business or scaling yourexisting one only to feel overwhelmed or stuck because you just
You know, you're not really sure what steps you need to take next.
Trust me, I understand because I've been there and it's not something you ever get over.
(01:20):
Like you get out, like you've been there and you get over it then it's done and it neverhappens again.
No, it's a cyclical thing.
It comes up.
You set a new goal and then you're like, man, I got to figure out how am I going to how amI going to achieve this goal?
So here's the thing about success.
It isn't just about dreaming big.
It's about turning those dreams into a roadmap that gets you from point A to point B topoint C and so on.
(01:44):
So that's what we're talking about today.
Grab a notebook, grab your planner, the notes app on your phone, whatever floats your boatin terms of taking notes.
And let's dive into it.
So let's start with talking about why planning matters.
So if you're thinking to yourself, you know what?
Yeah, that might work for you, but I'm the kind of person that just likes to sort of gowith the flow.
(02:05):
I don't need a detailed plan.
can figure it out as I go along.
That's a choice.
And I'm not saying it's never the right choice.
are some times, trust me, sometimes things fall apart and you just have to freestyle and,and having that capability, having that skill, it's a good thing to have in your back
(02:26):
pocket.
But do you remember the quote that I said last time?
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
You need to at least.
have a sketch of a plan.
It doesn't have to be very detailed, but at least a sketch of a plan.
Think about it like this.
If you're taking a road trip, are you just going to get in the car with no idea whereyou're going, no GPS, no wallet, no snacks, no playlist?
(02:52):
Probably not, or at least I hope not.
So just think of those same types of that same type of planning, just thought.
Again, maybe if you're taking a road trip, you don't think of that as planning.
You're like, that's just common sense.
Well, think of it as the common sense for a way to achieve your, whether it's yourbusiness goals, your personal goals, your career goals, whatever it is.
(03:12):
Just think of these, you know, some of these things that we're going to talk about todayas just the common sense things that you should do in order to achieve those goals.
Because a solid plan is going to give you clarity so that you know exactly what you'reworking towards.
It's going to help you stay focused so that you're not distracted every time
a new idea pops up or a new opportunity presents itself.
(03:33):
Sometimes it's valid to take those detours.
I'm going to stick with my little analogy there.
Sometimes it's valid to take those detours, but you need to know when they're just adistraction and when they're something that you need to pursue.
And it also, a solid plan is going to help you create accountability so that you can trackyour progress and adjust as needed because you need to know when you need to adjust.
(03:57):
So whether you're launching a new business or you're pivoting your career, you're tryingto level up in your current role.
Having a clear strategic plan is a difference between wishing for success and activelyworking towards it.
So how do we chart a course towards our goal?
Let's break it down into five key steps.
(04:19):
Number one, step one, you need to define your destination.
So again, back to the, the,
themes from my community that our theme for January was defining or choosing yourdestination.
So we were all about planning out what's our big goal.
I was hesitating because I was thinking, well, it doesn't have to be a big goal.
(04:42):
But for the kind of planning that we're talking about here, it's sort of, your, it's not,not talking five year plan here.
I'm just talking like, for example, goals for the next three months or goals for the nextsix months.
And those are, you maybe they're not the biggest goals.
They may be their medium sized goals, but we're talking about something more than just,okay, I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning.
Okay.
Which I hope is a goal that everybody has that went morbid real quick.
(05:05):
But my point is,
Um, that it, you know, it's, it's a goal.
It's something that you've got to have to take steps along the way in order to get to.
So I'm calling it your big goal.
So you want to, you want to think about what is your ultimate goal?
And you want to be specific instead of just saying, I want to grow my business.
Maybe you say, I want to increase my revenue by 50 % in the next year through offeringdigital products and coaching.
(05:30):
Or if we're talking career related, instead of saying, I want to move, I want to move upin my field.
You know, maybe you say.
Okay, I want to land a senior level tech role within the next 12 months by upskilling andnetworking.
So you want your goals to be clear, measurable, and time-bound.
So you want to know exactly what you want to achieve, how you're going to track yoursuccess, and when you want to achieve them.
(05:54):
Now I'm going to pause here because I'm sure some of you have heard SMART goals before.
You've heard the term SMART goals.
For those who haven't, SMART is an acronym and it stands for Specific Measurable
actionable and or attainable depending on who you ask, realistic and time bound.
And it's just a cute acronym that people use when they're writing their goals.
(06:17):
let me make sure it is, it, it, know, S-M-A-R-T.
So that's great.
I personally, whenever I'm writing a goal, when I try to go through the whole smartacronym, I always feel like I'm
I'm like, I'm forcing it to meet all of those things.
So I like to keep mine just sort of short, clear, measurable, time bound.
(06:39):
If you want to go the full smart route, that's fine too.
You just want to make sure that you're, and yes, when I say clear, I mean specific andyes, they need to be measurable.
Yes, they need to be time bound.
The realistic, mean, who's to define what realistic is?
I mean, it's your goal, so only you know the answer to that.
And what else am I missing if I don't say so?
(07:01):
Specific is same as clear, measurable, we've already talked about.
attainable and or actionable.
I mean, if it's not actionable, then what is, I mean, I don't know.
I'm not trying to tear down the smart analogy.
I'm just saying that it just is a little bit overworked for me.
So I like to keep it simple, which is clear, measurable and time bound.
(07:21):
But if you are all about smart goals, then go for it.
You just want to make sure that you're understanding what your goal is.
that you can measure it and that you know when it is you're trying to achieve it.
Okay.
So that's step one, defining your destination.
Step two, you need to map out your milestones.
So once you know your destination, then what's the route you're to take to get there?
(07:43):
What are the major stops that you need to take along the way?
I mean, if it's a back to my car analogy, my road trip analogy, is it a, if it's a onehour trip, then maybe you don't need to make any stops along the way, which is back to
like, maybe the goal needs to be bigger.
If it's a 12 hour trip, you might need to make some stops along the way and have youmapped that out and figured out exactly where are you going to stop along that path, along
(08:07):
that route.
So let's just use an example.
If you're launching a business, your milestones might be number one, conduct marketresearch in month one.
then number two would be build your brand and a website for the next two or three months.
And then
develop your products and services and test them out for the next couple of months andthen start marketing and getting customers.
(08:30):
So those might be some steps along the way.
Or let's use a career example.
Your milestones might be upskilling through certain courses or certifications for threemonths, let's say.
And then for the next three months, you're going to expand your network.
And then in month seven, you're going to update your resume and you're going to updateLinkedIn, for example.
(08:52):
And then for the next, you know, from like, you know, months eight through 12, you'regoing to start applying for targeted roles.
So, you just an example of you, you'd want to figure out what are the steps or the stopsalong the way to get from where you are to where you're trying to go, you know, to meet
that goal.
And you're going to break it down into manageable chunks so that it doesn't feeloverwhelming and that it's doable.
(09:16):
Now, I'm going to pause here.
I mentioned in the last episode that
I tend to over plan.
so there's a couple of things that number one, want to, like I say, you want to make surethat the things are in manageable chunks and that they're doable, but also don't get a
little, don't go over.
(09:36):
Basically I'm like saying, don't, don't do as I say, not as I do.
Don't be me because I will have sub bullets within sub bullets within sub bullets in myplan where, know, like there's so many, it's like step one and step one, a step one AI.
It's, which is a little bit too much.
So, so you have to try to find that right balance where you're not doing too much.
(10:02):
Okay.
I think you get the point.
You want to make it manageable, but you don't want to overdo it.
So, you know, just sort of think about it.
And again, without knowing what your specific goal is, I can't tell you what the rightsize is, but you'll know.
You just want to make sure that you're not feeling overwhelmed and that it's manageable.
(10:28):
Okay, moving on.
Step three, identify the resources that you need.
So how are you going to make this happen?
And when we're talking resources, we're talking people, skills, money, time.
So let's see, you know, let's talk people.
Do you, are there coaches or mentors that you need?
Do you need business partners?
What about accountability partners?
(10:49):
Just think about what people do you need?
you need, you're scaling up your business, do you need to hire employees or do you need toget contractors or you know, so what are the people resources that you need?
Next thing skills.
Do you need to take a course?
Do you need to learn a new tool?
So let's again, let's say you're launching a business and you want to do a website, but
(11:09):
Do you know how to build a website?
It could be a people thing.
could be maybe you've got to hire a contractor to help you with that.
Or maybe you're going to learn how to do something yourself.
So you're going to learn it yourself.
So what skills are you going to need?
Money.
Budget.
Do you need money for learning that tool or for taking that course?
Or what about for marketing?
(11:30):
if you're, say you're launching a website, you're going to have to pay hosting costs andthings like that.
So you need to figure out.
the money that you need in order to achieve these goals or this goal.
And then the time, how long is it going to take you?
How many hours a week can you commit to doing it?
So if you're working a full-time job and you're trying to launch a side gig, for example,how much time do you have early in the morning or late at night?
(11:55):
Or can you do stuff over your lunch break?
How much time can you commit to it?
Even if you're trying to upskill in your job and maybe you're trying to move intomanagement.
You still have your day job that you have to do.
trying to get to another level, but you still have to do your regular job.
So again, how much time do you have to commit to doing whatever it is you need to do toupskill?
(12:16):
But you know what's important?
Invest in yourself.
In fact, we're going to talk about this in the next episode.
I'm going to be talking with somebody.
We're going to be talking about investing in your own skills.
And so I won't go on about it here, but just know that in the next episode, we're going totalk a little bit more about.
Investing yourself that that's a pro tip, you know, whether it's coaching or books orworkshops or whatever resources that You feel like you need they can make a world of
(12:39):
difference.
So again next episode We're going to be talking a little bit more about investing inyourself Okay step four Create a daily or weekly action plan.
So we talked about you know, these these milestones needed to be Actionable so you'regoing to take these your milestones you're turn them into actionable steps and then you
have to figure out
(13:00):
Okay, well, what can I do this week or what do I need to do?
What small step can I take today?
you know, what, what do need to do to move forward?
So again, back to some examples, if you launch in a business, then, you know, today's stepmight be research competitors.
if you're job hunting today's step might be reach out to a new contact on LinkedIn or goto this networking event, whatever it might be.
(13:22):
But consistency is going to be the key.
And you know what?
Prize consistency over perfection.
small daily actions can lead to big results.
So that's all I'll say on that one.
Number five, track your progress and adjust.
No plan is ever going to be perfect and that's fine.
Every month, check in and see what's working, what's not working.
(13:45):
What do I need to change?
Do I need more support?
Did I need more money?
Do I need more skills?
Did I, did I forget about, you know, this step that needed to happen before this otherstep and, you know, adjust your plan.
You have to be flexible, but you want to stay committed to the vision.
So let me recap those five steps for you again.
got number one, step number one is define your destination.
(14:05):
Step number two is map out your milestones.
Step number three is to identify your resources that you need.
And that's whether it's people skills, money, time.
And step number four is create a daily or weekly action plan.
I want to say there, know, monthly is too infrequent.
(14:26):
So
Daily might be too frequent for you at the minimum you want to do weekly, or I mean, atthe maximum you want to do weekly.
Okay, and then step number five, track your progress and adjust.
So those are the steps for breaking down and, know, for just the process for planning outthe route that you're going to take to meet these goals.
(14:49):
And then, you know, even the best plans can have challenges.
Things happen and you have to figure out a way to overcome roadblocks.
again, so I don't remember.
I'll talk about the themes that are coming up in just a bit, but we've got a theme that'sgoing to come up about overcoming obstacles and things like that.
But what I'll say here for the purposes of this episode is I'll talk about three things.
(15:14):
One, fear of failure.
You know what?
Failure is feedback.
So if you try something and it doesn't work, well, now you know something new.
You know that that didn't work, right?
So now, you know, that is a form of feedback.
So how do you adjust accordingly?
So learn, adjust, and keep going.
Overwhelm.
Okay, this is the second thing I want to talk about.
(15:35):
Again, break things down, take things one step at a time.
Don't try to take giant leaps.
Don't try to go too far too fast.
Now I'm going to switch analogies now, which I hate when I do that, but I was thinkingrunning.
When I said, don't go too far too fast.
was just thinking, you know how you got to stretch, you got to warm up your muscles beforeyou, you're to go run a marathon or whatever it is you're to do.
(15:57):
Just take those small steps to get you to the point where you can do the bigger thing.
Don't try to take, take on too much at a time.
And then you know what?
Self doubt is real, but that's, you know, it happens to us all.
Your goals are valid.
They're, they're, they're your goals.
Nobody can tell you that.
I mean, I mean, people can't.
People can tell you your goals are unrealistic or whatever, but they're your goals andit's up to you to decide whether or not you can achieve these people.
(16:25):
Some people are going to think that, um, you know, maybe that that's a little bit too muchfor you, but you know what you can take on, you know?
So, and, and yeah, like, especially if you're trying to do something really big, you know,you're trying to get some really great, maybe you're trying to get a really high level job
or, you know, especially if you're trying to do something like launch a business or.
(16:46):
scale up business ownership is hard.
there's going to be lots of failures.
So, and you're going to question yourself.
You're going to be like, okay, I clearly, I did not, I thought I knew what I was doing or,I thought I could do this, but I can't, you know, it's, it's a normal part of the process.
Surround yourself with a supportive community.
People, you know, not only who you don't just want cheerleaders who are just going to giveyou false like, yeah, yeah, you can do it.
(17:12):
You also want people that can say, okay, I see where you went wrong here.
Um, maybe try X or Y next time because you know, when you do this, then this happens.
You know, so surround yourself with people that are going to help you figure those thingsout and, and, and boost you and help you along the way.
Um, I keep, I'm trying to think, I'm sitting here trying to think of a way to bring itback to my car analogy.
(17:33):
I'm just thinking of like a car broken down on the side of the road and you calling, youknow, AAA or something to come help you, you know, just get the help you need when you
need it.
If you hit a roadblock, the point I'm making here is if you hit a roadblock, I can't talk,roadblock, don't quit, just recalculate your route and keep going.
(17:54):
So, you know, I mean, this is a short episode because yeah, I don't know.
When I'm doing the solo episodes and I don't have anybody to bounce ideas off, it's kindof weird.
just like, I feel like I'm just, I know people are listening to the podcast.
I know this from the download numbers, but.
I just feel like I'm talking to myself.
it's it's I don't know.
Whenever I'm doing solo episodes, I tend to unless I'm telling a personal story.
(18:16):
You guys know this.
My personal story is going to go on forever.
But when I'm just doing a advice episode and it's just me, I tend to keep them kind ofshort because it feels weird just talking to myself because I got nobody to balance.
I'm like, I don't have that reflection of what I'm saying, whether or not it's makingsense or not.
So, yeah.
Hey, by the way, reach out to me on on social media asking perfect genius.
(18:37):
So I know.
whether or not things are resonating with you all.
So I just want to, I'm going to wrap it up here with a couple of final thoughts.
One thing that I want to say as a takeaway is this success isn't about being perfect.
It's about being intentional.
And I don't know if I stole that quote from somebody or not.
I just, heard it somewhere.
(18:58):
And so I thought I would share it again.
I'll say it one more time, especially since the name of this podcast is imperfect genius.
Success is not about being perfect.
It's about being intentional.
That's what you want to do.
You just want to be intentional about the things that you're doing.
Take the time, chart your course, adjust as needed and keep moving forward.
(19:19):
You got this.
I believe in you.
And if you want more support on your journey, you can join Phenomenal Journey by ImperfectGenius, the community that I host for women of color in tech fields or in other.
underrepresented fields like entrepreneurship.
And we're all about learning and growing and thriving together.
(19:40):
And just as I mentioned earlier, I would preview some of the themes that we've got comingup.
So I mentioned that February was, or January, I kind of remember I'm going back, Januarywas choose your destination.
February was charting a course.
March is equipping yourself for the journey ahead.
So we're going to talking about strengthening your core skills and strategies andsupporting your plan.
(20:03):
And as I mentioned, we're to be talking about investing in yourself in the next episodewith Ryan Fortman, a little preview of that coming.
And then in April, we're going to be talking about navigating challenges and how toidentify potential obstacles and create solutions and overcome them.
In May, we're going to be talking about networking, forging alliances is the topic isforging alliances.
(20:24):
We're going to talk about networking and building valuable relationships.
And at that point in time, I am
going to break for that's going to be the end of season two.
and then, so after may, I'm going to take a break for the summer and come back for, sothat'll be the end of season two.
And then I'll come back.
(20:44):
Probably.
I'm not sure if it's going to be August or September, for season, season three, mySeptember, topic is checking your waypoints and adjusting your course.
So we're going to talk about, you know, assessing your progress towards your goal andmaking the necessary adjustments.
Um, if I do come back in August, it'll probably be the end of August.
So we probably won't cover the August topic.
(21:08):
Anyway, so, um, I'd love to hear your plans to achieve your goals in 2025.
Uh, so give us a call or text us at 404-425-9862, or you can connect with us on socialmedia at Ask Imperfect Genius.
If you're, as mentioned earlier, if you're a woman of color in tech or entrepreneurshipwho wants to connect with other women of color in underrepresented fields.
(21:30):
for mentorship and support, can check us out at community.imperfectgenius.com.
And until next time, this is Rachel Foster reminding you why your journey may not beflawless.
It can be phenomenal.
Welcome to Imperfect Genius, the podcast that provides technical advice on effectivelynavigating the business development journey and offers advice on building successful
careers in the tech industry.
I'm your host, Rachel Foster, a tech professional, educator, and entrepreneur.
Today's episode is all about planning, but not just any planning.
We're talking about charting a course to your goals in a way that's intentional,strategic, and actionable.
(00:39):
I mentioned in the previous podcast episode that I am
working on a plan to sync the podcast content with the themes for my community and themonthly theme for February, even though we're at the end of February, the monthly theme
for February is charting, of course.
And so we're going to talk about planning.
(00:59):
So have you ever set a goal, maybe a career pivot, launching a business or scaling yourexisting one only to feel overwhelmed or stuck because you just
You know, you're not really sure what steps you need to take next.
Trust me, I understand because I've been there and it's not something you ever get over.
(01:20):
Like you get out, like you've been there and you get over it then it's done and it neverhappens again.
No, it's a cyclical thing.
It comes up.
You set a new goal and then you're like, man, I got to figure out how am I going to how amI going to achieve this goal?
So here's the thing about success.
It isn't just about dreaming big.
It's about turning those dreams into a roadmap that gets you from point A to point B topoint C and so on.
(01:44):
So that's what we're talking about today.
Grab a notebook, grab your planner, the notes app on your phone, whatever floats your boatin terms of taking notes.
And let's dive into it.
So let's start with talking about why planning matters.
So if you're thinking to yourself, you know what?
Yeah, that might work for you, but I'm the kind of person that just likes to sort of gowith the flow.
(02:05):
I don't need a detailed plan.
can figure it out as I go along.
That's a choice.
And I'm not saying it's never the right choice.
are some times, trust me, sometimes things fall apart and you just have to freestyle and,and having that capability, having that skill, it's a good thing to have in your back
(02:26):
pocket.
But do you remember the quote that I said last time?
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
You need to at least.
have a sketch of a plan.
It doesn't have to be very detailed, but at least a sketch of a plan.
Think about it like this.
If you're taking a road trip, are you just going to get in the car with no idea whereyou're going, no GPS, no wallet, no snacks, no playlist?
(02:52):
Probably not, or at least I hope not.
So just think of those same types of that same type of planning, just thought.
Again, maybe if you're taking a road trip, you don't think of that as planning.
You're like, that's just common sense.
Well, think of it as the common sense for a way to achieve your, whether it's yourbusiness goals, your personal goals, your career goals, whatever it is.
(03:12):
Just think of these, you know, some of these things that we're going to talk about todayas just the common sense things that you should do in order to achieve those goals.
Because a solid plan is going to give you clarity so that you know exactly what you'reworking towards.
It's going to help you stay focused so that you're not distracted every time
a new idea pops up or a new opportunity presents itself.
(03:33):
Sometimes it's valid to take those detours.
I'm going to stick with my little analogy there.
Sometimes it's valid to take those detours, but you need to know when they're just adistraction and when they're something that you need to pursue.
And it also, a solid plan is going to help you create accountability so that you can trackyour progress and adjust as needed because you need to know when you need to adjust.
(03:57):
So whether you're launching a new business or you're pivoting your career, you're tryingto level up in your current role.
Having a clear strategic plan is a difference between wishing for success and activelyworking towards it.
So how do we chart a course towards our goal?
Let's break it down into five key steps.
(04:19):
Number one, step one, you need to define your destination.
So again, back to the, the,
themes from my community that our theme for January was defining or choosing yourdestination.
So we were all about planning out what's our big goal.
I was hesitating because I was thinking, well, it doesn't have to be a big goal.
(04:42):
But for the kind of planning that we're talking about here, it's sort of, your, it's not,not talking five year plan here.
I'm just talking like, for example, goals for the next three months or goals for the nextsix months.
And those are, you maybe they're not the biggest goals.
They may be their medium sized goals, but we're talking about something more than just,okay, I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning.
Okay.
Which I hope is a goal that everybody has that went morbid real quick.
(05:05):
But my point is,
Um, that it, you know, it's, it's a goal.
It's something that you've got to have to take steps along the way in order to get to.
So I'm calling it your big goal.
So you want to, you want to think about what is your ultimate goal?
And you want to be specific instead of just saying, I want to grow my business.
Maybe you say, I want to increase my revenue by 50 % in the next year through offeringdigital products and coaching.
(05:30):
Or if we're talking career related, instead of saying, I want to move, I want to move upin my field.
You know, maybe you say.
Okay, I want to land a senior level tech role within the next 12 months by upskilling andnetworking.
So you want your goals to be clear, measurable, and time-bound.
So you want to know exactly what you want to achieve, how you're going to track yoursuccess, and when you want to achieve them.
(05:54):
Now I'm going to pause here because I'm sure some of you have heard SMART goals before.
You've heard the term SMART goals.
For those who haven't, SMART is an acronym and it stands for Specific Measurable
actionable and or attainable depending on who you ask, realistic and time bound.
And it's just a cute acronym that people use when they're writing their goals.
(06:17):
let me make sure it is, it, it, know, S-M-A-R-T.
So that's great.
I personally, whenever I'm writing a goal, when I try to go through the whole smartacronym, I always feel like I'm
I'm like, I'm forcing it to meet all of those things.
So I like to keep mine just sort of short, clear, measurable, time bound.
(06:39):
If you want to go the full smart route, that's fine too.
You just want to make sure that you're, and yes, when I say clear, I mean specific andyes, they need to be measurable.
Yes, they need to be time bound.
The realistic, mean, who's to define what realistic is?
I mean, it's your goal, so only you know the answer to that.
And what else am I missing if I don't say so?
(07:01):
Specific is same as clear, measurable, we've already talked about.
attainable and or actionable.
I mean, if it's not actionable, then what is, I mean, I don't know.
I'm not trying to tear down the smart analogy.
I'm just saying that it just is a little bit overworked for me.
So I like to keep it simple, which is clear, measurable and time bound.
(07:21):
But if you are all about smart goals, then go for it.
You just want to make sure that you're understanding what your goal is.
that you can measure it and that you know when it is you're trying to achieve it.
Okay.
So that's step one, defining your destination.
Step two, you need to map out your milestones.
So once you know your destination, then what's the route you're to take to get there?
(07:43):
What are the major stops that you need to take along the way?
I mean, if it's a back to my car analogy, my road trip analogy, is it a, if it's a onehour trip, then maybe you don't need to make any stops along the way, which is back to
like, maybe the goal needs to be bigger.
If it's a 12 hour trip, you might need to make some stops along the way and have youmapped that out and figured out exactly where are you going to stop along that path, along
(08:07):
that route.
So let's just use an example.
If you're launching a business, your milestones might be number one, conduct marketresearch in month one.
then number two would be build your brand and a website for the next two or three months.
And then
develop your products and services and test them out for the next couple of months andthen start marketing and getting customers.
(08:30):
So those might be some steps along the way.
Or let's use a career example.
Your milestones might be upskilling through certain courses or certifications for threemonths, let's say.
And then for the next three months, you're going to expand your network.
And then in month seven, you're going to update your resume and you're going to updateLinkedIn, for example.
(08:52):
And then for the next, you know, from like, you know, months eight through 12, you'regoing to start applying for targeted roles.
So, you just an example of you, you'd want to figure out what are the steps or the stopsalong the way to get from where you are to where you're trying to go, you know, to meet
that goal.
And you're going to break it down into manageable chunks so that it doesn't feeloverwhelming and that it's doable.
(09:16):
Now, I'm going to pause here.
I mentioned in the last episode that
I tend to over plan.
so there's a couple of things that number one, want to, like I say, you want to make surethat the things are in manageable chunks and that they're doable, but also don't get a
little, don't go over.
(09:36):
Basically I'm like saying, don't, don't do as I say, not as I do.
Don't be me because I will have sub bullets within sub bullets within sub bullets in myplan where, know, like there's so many, it's like step one and step one, a step one AI.
It's, which is a little bit too much.
So, so you have to try to find that right balance where you're not doing too much.
(10:02):
Okay.
I think you get the point.
You want to make it manageable, but you don't want to overdo it.
So, you know, just sort of think about it.
And again, without knowing what your specific goal is, I can't tell you what the rightsize is, but you'll know.
You just want to make sure that you're not feeling overwhelmed and that it's manageable.
(10:28):
Okay, moving on.
Step three, identify the resources that you need.
So how are you going to make this happen?
And when we're talking resources, we're talking people, skills, money, time.
So let's see, you know, let's talk people.
Do you, are there coaches or mentors that you need?
Do you need business partners?
What about accountability partners?
(10:49):
Just think about what people do you need?
you need, you're scaling up your business, do you need to hire employees or do you need toget contractors or you know, so what are the people resources that you need?
Next thing skills.
Do you need to take a course?
Do you need to learn a new tool?
So let's again, let's say you're launching a business and you want to do a website, but
(11:09):
Do you know how to build a website?
It could be a people thing.
could be maybe you've got to hire a contractor to help you with that.
Or maybe you're going to learn how to do something yourself.
So you're going to learn it yourself.
So what skills are you going to need?
Money.
Budget.
Do you need money for learning that tool or for taking that course?
Or what about for marketing?
(11:30):
if you're, say you're launching a website, you're going to have to pay hosting costs andthings like that.
So you need to figure out.
the money that you need in order to achieve these goals or this goal.
And then the time, how long is it going to take you?
How many hours a week can you commit to doing it?
So if you're working a full-time job and you're trying to launch a side gig, for example,how much time do you have early in the morning or late at night?
(11:55):
Or can you do stuff over your lunch break?
How much time can you commit to it?
Even if you're trying to upskill in your job and maybe you're trying to move intomanagement.
You still have your day job that you have to do.
trying to get to another level, but you still have to do your regular job.
So again, how much time do you have to commit to doing whatever it is you need to do toupskill?
(12:16):
But you know what's important?
Invest in yourself.
In fact, we're going to talk about this in the next episode.
I'm going to be talking with somebody.
We're going to be talking about investing in your own skills.
And so I won't go on about it here, but just know that in the next episode, we're going totalk a little bit more about.
Investing yourself that that's a pro tip, you know, whether it's coaching or books orworkshops or whatever resources that You feel like you need they can make a world of
(12:39):
difference.
So again next episode We're going to be talking a little bit more about investing inyourself Okay step four Create a daily or weekly action plan.
So we talked about you know, these these milestones needed to be Actionable so you'regoing to take these your milestones you're turn them into actionable steps and then you
have to figure out
(13:00):
Okay, well, what can I do this week or what do I need to do?
What small step can I take today?
you know, what, what do need to do to move forward?
So again, back to some examples, if you launch in a business, then, you know, today's stepmight be research competitors.
if you're job hunting today's step might be reach out to a new contact on LinkedIn or goto this networking event, whatever it might be.
(13:22):
But consistency is going to be the key.
And you know what?
Prize consistency over perfection.
small daily actions can lead to big results.
So that's all I'll say on that one.
Number five, track your progress and adjust.
No plan is ever going to be perfect and that's fine.
Every month, check in and see what's working, what's not working.
(13:45):
What do I need to change?
Do I need more support?
Did I need more money?
Do I need more skills?
Did I, did I forget about, you know, this step that needed to happen before this otherstep and, you know, adjust your plan.
You have to be flexible, but you want to stay committed to the vision.
So let me recap those five steps for you again.
got number one, step number one is define your destination.
(14:05):
Step number two is map out your milestones.
Step number three is to identify your resources that you need.
And that's whether it's people skills, money, time.
And step number four is create a daily or weekly action plan.
I want to say there, know, monthly is too infrequent.
(14:26):
So
Daily might be too frequent for you at the minimum you want to do weekly, or I mean, atthe maximum you want to do weekly.
Okay, and then step number five, track your progress and adjust.
So those are the steps for breaking down and, know, for just the process for planning outthe route that you're going to take to meet these goals.
(14:49):
And then, you know, even the best plans can have challenges.
Things happen and you have to figure out a way to overcome roadblocks.
again, so I don't remember.
I'll talk about the themes that are coming up in just a bit, but we've got a theme that'sgoing to come up about overcoming obstacles and things like that.
But what I'll say here for the purposes of this episode is I'll talk about three things.
(15:14):
One, fear of failure.
You know what?
Failure is feedback.
So if you try something and it doesn't work, well, now you know something new.
You know that that didn't work, right?
So now, you know, that is a form of feedback.
So how do you adjust accordingly?
So learn, adjust, and keep going.
Overwhelm.
Okay, this is the second thing I want to talk about.
(15:35):
Again, break things down, take things one step at a time.
Don't try to take giant leaps.
Don't try to go too far too fast.
Now I'm going to switch analogies now, which I hate when I do that, but I was thinkingrunning.
When I said, don't go too far too fast.
was just thinking, you know how you got to stretch, you got to warm up your muscles beforeyou, you're to go run a marathon or whatever it is you're to do.
(15:57):
Just take those small steps to get you to the point where you can do the bigger thing.
Don't try to take, take on too much at a time.
And then you know what?
Self doubt is real, but that's, you know, it happens to us all.
Your goals are valid.
They're, they're, they're your goals.
Nobody can tell you that.
I mean, I mean, people can't.
People can tell you your goals are unrealistic or whatever, but they're your goals andit's up to you to decide whether or not you can achieve these people.
(16:25):
Some people are going to think that, um, you know, maybe that that's a little bit too muchfor you, but you know what you can take on, you know?
So, and, and yeah, like, especially if you're trying to do something really big, you know,you're trying to get some really great, maybe you're trying to get a really high level job
or, you know, especially if you're trying to do something like launch a business or.
(16:46):
scale up business ownership is hard.
there's going to be lots of failures.
So, and you're going to question yourself.
You're going to be like, okay, I clearly, I did not, I thought I knew what I was doing or,I thought I could do this, but I can't, you know, it's, it's a normal part of the process.
Surround yourself with a supportive community.
People, you know, not only who you don't just want cheerleaders who are just going to giveyou false like, yeah, yeah, you can do it.
(17:12):
You also want people that can say, okay, I see where you went wrong here.
Um, maybe try X or Y next time because you know, when you do this, then this happens.
You know, so surround yourself with people that are going to help you figure those thingsout and, and, and boost you and help you along the way.
Um, I keep, I'm trying to think, I'm sitting here trying to think of a way to bring itback to my car analogy.
(17:33):
I'm just thinking of like a car broken down on the side of the road and you calling, youknow, AAA or something to come help you, you know, just get the help you need when you
need it.
If you hit a roadblock, the point I'm making here is if you hit a roadblock, I can't talk,roadblock, don't quit, just recalculate your route and keep going.
(17:54):
So, you know, I mean, this is a short episode because yeah, I don't know.
When I'm doing the solo episodes and I don't have anybody to bounce ideas off, it's kindof weird.
just like, I feel like I'm just, I know people are listening to the podcast.
I know this from the download numbers, but.
I just feel like I'm talking to myself.
it's it's I don't know.
Whenever I'm doing solo episodes, I tend to unless I'm telling a personal story.
(18:16):
You guys know this.
My personal story is going to go on forever.
But when I'm just doing a advice episode and it's just me, I tend to keep them kind ofshort because it feels weird just talking to myself because I got nobody to balance.
I'm like, I don't have that reflection of what I'm saying, whether or not it's makingsense or not.
So, yeah.
Hey, by the way, reach out to me on on social media asking perfect genius.
(18:37):
So I know.
whether or not things are resonating with you all.
So I just want to, I'm going to wrap it up here with a couple of final thoughts.
One thing that I want to say as a takeaway is this success isn't about being perfect.
It's about being intentional.
And I don't know if I stole that quote from somebody or not.
I just, heard it somewhere.
(18:58):
And so I thought I would share it again.
I'll say it one more time, especially since the name of this podcast is imperfect genius.
Success is not about being perfect.
It's about being intentional.
That's what you want to do.
You just want to be intentional about the things that you're doing.
Take the time, chart your course, adjust as needed and keep moving forward.
(19:19):
You got this.
I believe in you.
And if you want more support on your journey, you can join Phenomenal Journey by ImperfectGenius, the community that I host for women of color in tech fields or in other.
underrepresented fields like entrepreneurship.
And we're all about learning and growing and thriving together.
(19:40):
And just as I mentioned earlier, I would preview some of the themes that we've got comingup.
So I mentioned that February was, or January, I kind of remember I'm going back, Januarywas choose your destination.
February was charting a course.
March is equipping yourself for the journey ahead.
So we're going to talking about strengthening your core skills and strategies andsupporting your plan.
(20:03):
And as I mentioned, we're to be talking about investing in yourself in the next episodewith Ryan Fortman, a little preview of that coming.
And then in April, we're going to be talking about navigating challenges and how toidentify potential obstacles and create solutions and overcome them.
In May, we're going to be talking about networking, forging alliances is the topic isforging alliances.
(20:24):
We're going to talk about networking and building valuable relationships.
And at that point in time, I am
going to break for that's going to be the end of season two.
and then, so after may, I'm going to take a break for the summer and come back for, sothat'll be the end of season two.
And then I'll come back.
(20:44):
Probably.
I'm not sure if it's going to be August or September, for season, season three, mySeptember, topic is checking your waypoints and adjusting your course.
So we're going to talk about, you know, assessing your progress towards your goal andmaking the necessary adjustments.
Um, if I do come back in August, it'll probably be the end of August.
So we probably won't cover the August topic.
(21:08):
Anyway, so, um, I'd love to hear your plans to achieve your goals in 2025.
Uh, so give us a call or text us at 404-425-9862, or you can connect with us on socialmedia at Ask Imperfect Genius.
If you're, as mentioned earlier, if you're a woman of color in tech or entrepreneurshipwho wants to connect with other women of color in underrepresented fields.
(21:30):
for mentorship and support, can check us out at community.imperfectgenius.com.
And until next time, this is Rachel Foster reminding you why your journey may not beflawless.
It can be phenomenal.
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