Several years ago I was discussing ways to build the new business of a client named Pete. I asked him a standard question: “What is your vision for the business, say, in five years?”
“I want to have 2,000 locations around the world,” he replied without missing a beat. I chuckled to myself, thinking, “That’s a big goal. It would put his company in the top .5% of all franchises.”
Now Pete asked me one of the most powerful questions I’ve ever heard. He simply said, “If there was a way, how could we do it?”
This shifted the playing field from “fantasy land” to the real world, spurring a committed, brass-tacks strategy session on how to accomplish that vision.
The key question for current and aspiring entrepreneurs is not “where do you see yourself,” but HOW will you get there? The answer revolves around the creative vision. I don’t mean “creative visualization,” whereby you sit on a yoga mat with legs crossed and imagine yourself in a plush office overlooking New York’s Fifth Avenue to make it all come true. I mean developing a precise vision of how you, the entrepreneur, will bring your company into being.
Vision doesn’t require a set timeline. It could be short term, long term or “whenever.” It may seem “realistic” or “unrealistic.” It might involve earth-shattering ambitions or modest, personal goals.
This book will teach you to earn more money with less stress by helping you build a profitable business that you will enjoy working. The first step is to develop a clear vision – one that motivates you to act.
As an entrepreneur, you’re going to work at least 40 hours per week, maybe 80, maybe more. Many entrepreneurs work 48-52 weeks every year. (There are some who would work more if they could.) Of course, you’ll need to take some vacation, but you will spend a large part of your life building your business.
And if you’re going to devote this kind of time and effort to building a business, you’d better absolutely enjoy the process. Your company should be something that you find totally worthwhile, inspirational and (most of all) fun.
Earning more money is typically not a key factor when deciding to become self-employed, but it’s a critical part of the decision to build a business. Launching your own company is
rarely easy. Chances are, you’ll work harder, longer and use more mental energy than you ever did as an employee.
That’s why many entrepreneurs are often motivated by the desire to achieve independence and exercise more control over their lives. The most successful people aren’t in it just for the money. They want to look forward to the sound of the alarm clock in the morning, instead of dreading it.
Here’s an example of how clear vision inspires action. For years, I had vague ideas of eventually having a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to
maintain a regular exercise regimen. Sure, I’d visit the gym now and again, but I usually made excuses for not going.
After my second child was born, however, I realized that if I wanted to keep up with both kids, I’d need to get into better shape.
Suddenly, it was no longer an amorphous dream of looking good but a concrete goal to improve my quality of life. I developed a vision of how I wanted to look and function as an older man. That vision motivated me to strap on my Nikes and get to the gym several times a week.
Many people are uninspired in their jobs because they don’t have a clear, long-term vision of why they’re there, and where they’re going. They don’t visualize their own futures. Years ago, I asked a friend’s father what he did for a living. His lackluster response: “I collect a paycheck twice a month.” (Actually, he was a marketing manager for IBM.) This attitude toward work is both ubiquitous AND infectious.
Working a job that you hate doesn’t just make you miserable, it affects everyone around you: colleagues and friends, spouses and children. A lack of vision regarding work infects your
life outside of the office or factory. You come home grumpy; you scream at the driver who failed to notice the changing traffic light; you can’t enjoy your weekends because Monday morning is a dark cloud that always looms on the horizon.
Building a company you hate – or even dislike – is impossible. Conversely, a positive vision and attitude toward your business is also infectious. Your vision – shared with your
employees, partners, and any stakeholders – inspire them, too.
Part of your job as a business owner, as a visionary, is to share your goals with everyone who participates in your enterprise. In that way, they become a part of the dream.
Imagine you are on a moving train. That train is your vision. The people who work with you might not be going to the same final destination, but for a while, they’ll be headed in the same direction. If their vision is aligned with yours, they hop on the train and take it to their stops. At some point, when they reach their stations, they hop off. You’ll say, “Thanks for having shared the ride this far.”
Everyone has some sort of vision. Flesh it out by asking – and answering – the right questions. Here’s a list that may prove helpful. Some will apply to your situation; others
won’t.
Regardless, pull your answers together into a vision statement, and edit the statement until it really sings for you. You can’t eat pie in the sky.” My response is to quote the old
saying: “Reach for the stars, and settle for the treetops.” I believe that strongly. Create a vision that is as big and bold as you want.
It’s not about what’s probable; it’s not about what’s likely; it’s not about what you’re sure you can accomplish. It’s about what you are determined to make happen. It’s not about what you’ve accomplished before, it’s about what you are willing to strive for.
That’s what empowers a business. To reiterate: the first step to earning twice as much with half the stress is establishing a vision – that clear compelling view, that focused the sense of what the future will look like for you and your company.
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