I was attending a local networking event today. The presenter was a local serial-entrepreneur. He shared his most recent success story and his philosophy on what’s important to entrepreneurial success. He said you need to know what’s your WHY.
Everything he said was right on point. In fact, I’ve experienced it myself over the years. One thing that really jumped out at me was his adamant return to answering the question of WHY you are doing what you are doing!
I couldn’t agree more. Most owners have their eye on the prize in the beginning. But, the longer you’re in a business the more you lose focus on what’s your WHY.
I have written often of the power of passion in business. Read those articles for other perspectives. But, this presentation validated what I’ve said for more than 2 decades. If you don’t know what’s your WHY then you’ll wander aimlessly.
What’s Your Why from in the Beginning
Do you remember WHY you started your business in the first place? If so, share your story below so others with a similar WHY can see they’re not alone.
An even harder question for many to answer is, will the path your business is on right now get you there in 3 – 5 years or less? If not, you may be setting yourself up for failure and not even realize it.
Too many of my clients have found themselves on this path. Guess what, it takes them 3 – 5 years to make the shift, so why not start down the right path in the beginning?
This is why many of our tools and resources for startups are focused on doing the right things from day 1! If we get them headed down the right path in the beginning they will have success sooner rather than later.
OK, so how do you determine where you’re at – reflection! If you have a hard time getting this process going or don’t even know where to start I would recommend our Personal & Business Goal Assessment. The purpose of this tool is to help you remember what drove you in the beginning so that you can refocus you fire again. Watch the following video to see what you can expect from the challenge:
So do you remember your WHY?!! No matter the time of year, it’s not too late to get focused. Get started now!
I started my business out of necessity. After suffering the 5th layoff of my career, I decided to no longer put the fate of my livelihood in the hands of someone else. I took a skill I had developed (or craft, if you will) over the course of 20 years, did my diligence in the market (discretionary income spend but little to no competition), and launched. Main mistakes leaned the hard way have been underestimating startup cost (by 50%) and choosing a few bad ad mediums with no return on investment. Not getting rich but I’ve also been profitable since year one.
I couldn’t ask others to comment if I wasn’t willing to comment myself:
“To help other which gives me a level of self-satisfaction and joy.”
Here’s my why: After losing 2 jobs in 2 years to outsourcing and then to me working myself out of the 2nd job, and only making $13 an hour, I realized I was worth so much more and could create a business of my own that would result in job security as long as I was in charge. I am driven, smart and focused. I give my all to it with a “whatever it takes” attitude. On the kinds of salaries being offered out there right now, I will never get my kids through college nor will I ever get to retire. Time to make what I deserve. Time is critical to achieving my retirement goals. Time to stop depending on others to support me.
[…] a good time to do it before you get too far down the road for the year. What I want you to do is get focused on your WHY […]
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