| Clarifying your motives
Lynne Franks says you must understand your motives for starting up on your own. Dig deep and use this knowledge as a guide to building the business you really want. Are you really clear why you want to start a business? If you simply want an easier life, then stop here, because having your own business is not about having it easy. On the other hand, if you want creative fulfilment, challenges, fun, and the knowledge that you can achieve your potential, together with a tremendous amount of hard work, then read on. This might be a good opportunity to clarify your thoughts and make a list of all the reasons you think you want to start your own business. Take some time to think about this and be as honest as you can be. Are you trying to prove something to other people probably your parents, friends, or partner or are you creating a business for yourself? Is it to make money or do you want creative fulfilment? Do you crave recognition or just freedom? Do you want a business so that you can contribute to society or so that you can retire early? Or is your motive a combination of all of these? And think about whether you really want to start your own business or simply want to work on your own as a freelance consultant. On thing can lead to the other, if you want it to. But at least youll know where to start. Take the time to clarify your motivation. It will help you later when you decide what kind of business you want. If you crave recognition, for example, you wont mind working in a high-profile enterprise. But if you just want to make enough money to retire early, you may decide to open a business which may not be your burning passion, but will guarantee to make you a lot of money. In fact, most successful businesswomen I asked said they want financial independence but that money and fame have never been their main motivation. Its been far more about creative fulfilment and a desire to give something back to society. Discovering your motivation Now its time to look at your own motivation. Do you want a new challenge in your life? Do you want to work less hard? Do you want to make millions? Do you want a complete change of direction in your career? Do you want to start your own business because youre disillusioned with the conventional corporate world? Whatever the true reasons are, make sure youre aware of them as you plan your future enterprise. The whole picture Whatever business you decide to create, it will not be your whole life, but it will have to fit into your life. What are your personal visions and how do they fit in with having your own business? How and where do you want to live city, town, or country? Do you have small children? How much time do you want to spend with them? Does it make more sense for you to work at home? To have a balanced life, you have to judge it as a whole, not in separate compartments. What do you want your future to look like? What would be the perfect picture of your life in one, five, and ten years? As long as you remember that it never will be totally perfect, think of all the ingredients that you ideally want in your life including, of course, your passions. Remember, we do write our own life stories. |