Creating a Business Which Delivers What You Truly Want
Every business owner has a reason why they started their business. There was something missing in their lives which they believed a business could fulfil. In some way, their business was going to give them a sense of purpose.
The reasons can be varied. For some, it is an opportunity to be more creative. Their career to date has restricted them, not allowing them to fulfil their potential or take advantage of their talents and skills. For others, they’ve wanted more control over their working life or needed more flexibility. This is often the case for parents. There are also many business owners who have identified an unfulfilled need in the world or who simply want to make more of a difference.
Your specific reason for starting a business doesn’t matter. There just needs to be a ‘why’ because this is often the most significant motivating factor. It will push you to overcome challenges and to continue striving toward success. However, that doesn’t mean it always stays front of mind. Sometimes, it can get lost in everything else you must do within your business.
How your ‘why’ can get lost
Starting a business can be a steep learning curve, especially if you’ve come from a corporate world with a secure salary. Suddenly, every aspect of the business is down to you. You quickly become busy tackling marketing, sales, and accounts, as well as delivering for your clients. There are so many new skills that you need to learn. This is especially true in the early days as you start to build your business. Rather than hiring expert support, you try to do everything yourself.
Then, once your business gets going, you’re juggling growth and adapting to the new demands. As you begin to deliver what others want from you, your initial ‘why’ can get lost. For example, you might work much longer hours even though your intention was to spend more time with your family. Or you might discover you’ve been blown off course and your work has moved in a direction that doesn’t give you the sense of fulfilment you wanted.
Just because you create a business, it doesn’t mean you’ll end up with one that delivers on the reason why you started it. Your ‘why’ can shift, and this is fine if this has been a conscious move. However, if this happens unconsciously, or if your ‘why’ gets completely lost, then this can damage you and your business as it can leave you feeling unmotivated, disheartened and as though something just isn’t right.
If you want to create a business that delivers on your ‘why’, then you must be deliberate about it, placing your reason at the heart of your business.
How to create a business that delivers what you truly want
The first step is to get clear on why you initially created your business and consider whether this reason is still true for you. It’s okay for your reason to change. What’s important is that you get beyond all the ideas of what ‘should’ motivate you and focus on the real reason you want to build this business.
Next, you need to consider whether you’re on track to achieve this. What has been your progress to date? If you are on track, consider what’s next. If you’re not, then think about what you really want now.
Finally, you need to get the foundations of your business in place, based on what you truly want to get from it. These foundations include factors such as developing the right mindset to stay focussed and outcome-driven, creating your magnetising value proposition, marketing that attracts the right clients, a simple sales process, and managing your time to create the work/life balance you seek.
These are the foundations we cover in our three online Entrepreneur’s Success workshops. Crucially, these build on your why, starting with gaining clarity on exactly what you want to achieve. Throughout the sessions, you’ll then construct a plan that supports the vision you have for your business.
Discover more about our Entrepreneur’s Success workshops or call us on (01483) 833058 to book your place.