How to Set Realistic Revenue Goals Based on Your Market Potential
Let's play a game. How many times this week have you seen someone post about their "$10k month" or hitting a "six-figure quarter"? It’s the unofficial anthem of online business culture, and it’s everywhere. You see it, and for a split second, you feel a jolt of inspiration. Then, almost immediately, a wave of dread washes over you.
You look at your own numbers, your own client roster, and your own never-ending to-do list, and you think, “What am I doing wrong?” You started this business to escape the corporate pressure cooker, but now you’ve just traded your old boss for a thousand tiny, invisible ones on Instagram.
You’re a smart, capable person who managed complex projects and teams in your past life. But when it comes to setting your own revenue goals, you feel like you’re just throwing darts at a board in the dark. You either pick a number so big it paralyzes you or one so small it feels like you’re playing small. It’s a frustrating cycle that leaves you feeling more scattered than successful.
Why Setting Revenue Goals Feels So Terrible
If the thought of financial planning makes you want to hide, you’re not alone. There's a powerful psychological reason this feels so overwhelming. It’s called “anchoring bias.” Our brains latch onto the first piece of information we receive (like those flashy six-figure launch posts) and use it as a reference point for all future decisions.
So, when you see a coach you admire celebrating a massive income goal, your brain anchors to that number as the new standard for success. It doesn’t matter if she has a huge team, a massive ad budget, or has been in business for a decade longer than you. Your brain just registers the number and whispers, “That’s what you should be doing.”
This creates a massive disconnect between your reality and your expectations. You're trying to set realistic revenue goals, but you're working with completely unrealistic data points. It’s a recipe for chronic disappointment and imposter syndrome. You’re not bad with money or lazy for not hitting these arbitrary milestones. You’re just a human whose brain is being hijacked by a culture that glorifies vanity metrics over sustainable profit.
How This Hits Solopreneurs the Hardest
As a solopreneur, you wear all the hats. You’re the CEO, the CFO, the marketer, and the visionary. This makes you uniquely vulnerable to the toxic side effects of poorly set revenue goals.
Here’s how it usually shows up:
Shiny Object Syndrome: You see someone else’s revenue goal and immediately start chasing their strategy. “She made $20k with a webinar, so I need to create a webinar!” You abandon your own carefully laid plans to pursue a tactic that feels like a shortcut, wasting time and energy on things that aren't aligned with your business.
The Underpricing/Overpricing Panic: You look at your big, scary revenue goal and panic. To hit it, you either slash your prices to attract more clients (leading to burnout) or you inflate your prices beyond what your market can bear (leading to no clients at all). You’re making decisions from a place of fear, not value.
Hustle Culture Glorification: An unrealistic goal gives you permission to hustle yourself into the ground. You justify working 14-hour days and sacrificing your well-being because you believe it’s the only way to "make it." Your revenue goal becomes a weapon you use against yourself.
Decision Fatigue: Every choice becomes monumental. “Should I invest in this tool? Can I afford to hire help?” Without a clear, grounded financial plan, you’re making critical business decisions based on anxiety and guesswork, draining your precious mental energy.
The result is a constant state of financial anxiety. You’re either worried you’re not making enough or terrified you won’t be able to maintain the pace. It’s an exhausting way to run a business.
A Simple Framework for Setting Revenue Goals You Can Actually Hit
You don’t need a degree in finance or a complicated spreadsheet to get this right. You just need a practical, reality-based approach that connects your $$ goals to what’s actually possible.
Here’s a 4-step approach to set realistic revenue goals.
Step 1: Define Your "Enough" Number
Before you think about what’s possible, you need to get clear on what’s necessary. What is the actual amount of money you need to make to cover your business expenses, pay yourself a reasonable salary, and meet your personal financial obligations? This is your baseline - or what I call your "enough" number. It’s the foundation upon which all other goals are built.
Action Step: Create a simple spreadsheet with three columns:
Business Expenses: List all your recurring monthly costs (software, insurance, contractors, etc.).
Your Salary: Decide on a non-negotiable monthly salary for yourself. This is not a "whatever is left over" number. It’s a real expense.
Taxes & Savings: Set aside a percentage for taxes (a good starting point is 30%) and a small amount for savings.
Add these up. This total is your monthly revenue floor. Hitting this number means your business is sustainable. Anything above it is growth. Knowing this number brings an immediate sense of calm and control.
Step 2: Calculate Your Capacity
A revenue goal without a clear understanding of your capacity to deliver is just a wish. You need to know how many clients you can serve or how many products you can sell without burning out. Your time and energy are finite resources.
Action Step: Look at your calendar for the next month. Be brutally honest about how many hours you can realistically dedicate to client-facing work. Now, calculate your capacity based on your offers.
If you’re a service provider: “I can realistically serve 4 one-on-one clients at a time.”
If you sell digital products: “I need to sell 50 units of my course to hit my goal.”
If you run a group program: “My program can hold 20 people per cohort.”
This exercise grounds your goal in the reality of your schedule and energy levels.
Step 3: Do the "Good, Better, Best" Goal Setting
Now you can set goals that are both motivating and grounded. Instead of one big, scary number, create three tiers: your Good, Better, and Best goals.
Good (Your Baseline): This is your "enough" number from Step 1. Hitting this goal means your business is healthy and sustainable. You can breathe easy.
Better (Your Target): This is your realistic target. It’s your baseline plus a bit of a stretch. This goal might involve taking on one extra client or increasing your prices slightly. This is the number you’re actively working toward.
Best (Your Stretch): This is your "hell yes!" goal. This is what’s possible if everything goes perfectly. A big launch, a major client, a surge in sales. It’s exciting to think about, but your self-worth isn’t tied to hitting it.
Action Step: Based on your baseline and capacity, write down your Good, Better, and Best monthly revenue goals. Put them on a sticky note by your desk. This tiered approach allows you to celebrate progress without feeling like a failure if you don’t hit the absolute top number.
Step 4: Reverse-Engineer the Path
A goal without a plan is just a dream. The final step is to break down your "Better" goal into the specific actions required to achieve it. This turns your revenue goal from a source of anxiety into a simple roadmap.
Action Step: Take your "Better" goal and work backward.
How many sales do you need to make?
How many sales calls does that require? (What’s your average conversion rate?)
How many leads do you need to generate to get those calls?
What marketing activities will generate those leads? (ex: "I need to send 4 emails and post on LinkedIn 3 times a week.")
Now you have a clear, actionable plan for the month. You’re no longer just hoping to hit a number. You’re executing a strategy.
You're Not Bad at Math, You're Just Unlearning
If this feels like a completely new way of thinking, that's because it is. You are unlearning decades of corporate programming that taught you to chase external validation. You’re learning to build a business from the inside out. It’s okay if it feels clunky at first. Be patient with yourself.
This is the entire philosophy behind my Unscattered Method. It’s not about finding more strategies or hacks. It’s about stripping away the noise to find clarity. It’s about creating systems and Working Rhythms that support your well-being, getting crystal clear on your Business Clarity, and embracing Anti-Hustle Living as a radical act of self-preservation. When your goals are aligned with your values and your capacity, your business starts to feel energizing, not draining.
Your Revenue Goal Is a Tool, Not a Weapon
You did not leave your corporate job to become a slave to a new set of arbitrary numbers. You left for freedom, purpose, and a life that felt more like your own.
A revenue goal should be a tool that helps you build that life, not a weapon you use to beat yourself up. It should provide clarity, not create chaos. When your goals are grounded in reality, they become a source of empowerment, guiding your decisions and helping you build a profitable, sustainable business without sacrificing your sanity.
If you’re ready to trade financial anxiety for quiet confidence, I invite you to explore my four pillars. And if you want a taste of what it feels like to run a business with this kind of clarity, check out the Guest Pass.
Your worth is not determined by your revenue. Your success is measured by the quality of the life you’re building.
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