What Does Your Business Legacy Mean to You?
Do you still possess the same intense “fire in your belly” that you had, when you first launched your business?
When was the last time you stepped back from being “IN” your business, to ask yourself why you started your business in the first place?
As I talk to and consult with more business owners who are stuck, the question that arises more often these days is: “What happened to their passion?”
It is the single most important question that a business owner can ask themselves, to truly understand their long-term goals. There is no other way of unsticking their business when their growth flat-lines.
So, why did you decide to start the business you chose to launch in the first place? What were those grandiose goals? How were you going to change the world?
You most likely chose the business you did because that was the industry you possessed the most background and experience.
The choices you made were based in large part on the contacts you had and the products and services that you were most interested in offering. In short, that was where your passions lay.
BUT…what are the long-term goals you hope to achieve given TODAY’S reality?
What do you want your legacy to be? When all is said and done, what is it that you hope to leave behind?
Are you living in the NOW all the time, focused only on your weekly, monthly, and quarterly sales goals? What happened to your vision?
Are you focused on mere survival? If so, you are likely operating your business in the most short-sighted manner and you’re missing out on many opportunities by not broadening your horizon?
Ask yourself these highly difficult questions:
* Are you happy with where you are now?
* How often do you take tremendous risks with high potential rewards?
* Do you truly empower your employees?
* Do you have a five or ten year plan?
* What is your exit strategy?
* What is your plan to find, recruit and keep TOP talent?
* Are you operating off the same business plan that you developed years ago, even as many aspects of your industry have changed significantly in recent years?
All of these considerations should be factored in as you attempt to unstick your business and get back to achieving double-digit growth.
Are you doing today the things you were doing years ago that brought you the greatest satisfaction.
If not, then I urge you to rekindle the passion that you possessed when you first started out.
THAT rekindling of the passion you had when you launched your business will drive you forward in these challenging economic times.
Ethan Chazin, The Compassionate Coach