Set incremental goals that prevent early discouragement on long-timeline projects
For side projects or slow-growth products, set small achievable milestones instead of revenue goals. First goal: one stranger downloads. Next: 10 users. Then: first paying customer. If you set '150K/year' as the goal for a side project, you'll quit before reaching it. Incremental goals keep you motivated through the years-long journey.
When to use
Side projects, seasonal products, or markets where growth takes years not months. Especially critical when working nights/weekends where burnout risk is high.
Don't do this
Setting ambitious revenue goals (e.g., $10K MRR, $100K/year) at the start. When you don't hit them in 6-12 months, you quit—even though the idea might have worked with patience.
1 Founder Who Did This
First goal was 'a random person I don't know downloads the app'—not revenue. Explicitly said 'If I had set my goal 6 years ago to 150K/year I would have thrown away that project.'