To entrepreneur or not to
Owning a business is an incredible journey, one that is fulfilling in a whole different way to being “just” an employee. However it does come with a whole different set of challenges, challenges that you have to not just willingly take on but also be motivated by. As with everything, entrepreneurship has its good and bad sides and only you can decide whether you’ve got what it takes to walk this journey.
Freedom, a friend AND a foe
Having your own business comes with an immense amount of freedom. You get to decide when you want to work, who you are recruiting, how much you are paying them, what direction the company is taking, heck even what kind of coffee you stock in the kitchen if you are a details kind of person. This is an incredible gift, a gift that on the other hand can become overwhelming quite quickly. Let me repeat the list with you keeping in mind the responsibility that comes with it, you decide when to work, who you are recruiting, how much they are earning, which way the company is headed, even the type of coffee you keep in the kitchen.
“With great freedom comes great responsibility”
When people look at business owners and think, oh what a dream, they do what and when they want, they tend to forget that there is a whole different level of responsibility attached to this freedom. And trust me as someone who has been running my own businesses for over a decade I can guarantee that sooner or later the complete freedom will become your foe. A foe that is there to remind you of the responsibility you have, so if you are mindful of this that’s the first step, but more importantly if you have a purpose for your business - aside from money - you will be able to use this reminder to your advantage.
HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR BUSINESS PURPOSE
Have a purpose (no NOT money)
Every business has a purpose, some articulate it, some don’t, and even worse a lot of businesses think that making money is their purpose. Let me clarify this, you need money, that is just how the world works, but money is only a vessel to achieve your goals, not the goal itself. So let me rephrase this question to help your thinking, how does my business make the world a better place? Businesses are made of people for people, to deliver solutions to problems.
“Find a worthy purpose and money will follow”
No customer on earth would say that they believe in a company because that business with the purpose to make money is really close to their heart - unless they are stakeholders, but that’s a different story. Looking at the purpose through the eyes of the customer even makes it sound silly to have money as the business purpose. People believe in companies that consistently deliver on their promise to save time for them, enable them to do something they couldn't before, create a memorable experience for them, you name it. The commonality of a good purpose is that it creates value where there wasn’t one before. Find a worthy purpose, create value and money will follow.
Entrepreneurship, a fulfilling journey
Creating a solution where there wasn’t one before, or simply creating a better solution than what’s already out there is an incredible feeling. But you might wonder how is this different from doing the same thing as an employee? The difference is that you have the complete creative freedom without anyone limiting your vision apart from yourself. You are in charge of why, how and what to do. You are creating jobs in the process, careers with fulfilling paths, better solutions to your customers who will develop emotional attachment to your brand.
As an entrepreneur you create an entity with a purpose that brings value to people where there was none before and that is what makes owning a business such a unique and fulfilling journey. A journey that is, despite the risks and responsibility attached to it, one worth taking.
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