Biz 1 Chapter 3

Biz 1 Chapter 3 150 150 Ben Coker

“What They Don’t Tell You About Starting a
Business”

Chapter 3

Start With Why

Before even starting a business or even thinking about setting one up, it’s important to understand WHY you might want to do this at all.

?

You and I start businesses for one or more of these reasons:

  • We have a ‘great idea’
  • We want to work for ourselves rather than a ‘boss’
  • We want to ‘make money’
  • We are following a family tradition
  • We just want ‘something to do’
  • We are passionate about something
  • It sounded like a good idea at the time
  • We were ‘persuaded’ into it
  • For no particular reason

The trouble is, that because this topic is really badly addressed by the education system at all levels, many people launch into ‘starting a business’ without a clear understanding of what a ‘business’ is or what it does.

Supporting Your Vision

Some of the reasons given are ‘good’, some are ‘the right reasons’ and some are really ‘bad’!

The question you and I must ask ourselves if we have the feeling that we want to ‘start a business’ is simply WHY?

Some of the ‘good’ reasons for starting a business –

  • Feeling ‘uncomfortable’ working for someone else
  • Wanting to be ‘in control’ of your income
  • Wanting to be ‘in control’ of your time
  • Having a great idea and wanting to make it happen
  • Needing to keep active and engaged with something

These are all ‘good’ reasons, but the only ‘right’ reason for starting a business is:

 

To empower your passion and your vision of the life you would love to live

Your business could do this in different ways:

  • It could generate the finance you need to fulfil your passion and build your vision
  • It could generate the time you need to fulfil your passion and build your visions

Your business can be PART of your vision and be BUILT AROUND your passion!

And as a Coach or Therapist – isn’t that exactly what you want to do?

The thing is:

When your business is an integral part of your vision of what you want to be do, have and give, it is far more likely that you will make a success of it.

Let’s imagine for a moment that your passion was to do with horses – you’d build a business that was to do with horses in some way.

Let’s imagine your passion was scuba diving – you’d create a scuba diving business.

Let’s imagine your passion was helping people succeed in life – you’d build a life coaching or business coaching business.

Get it?

But of course, there’s a lot more to it –

  • You must be clear about your passion
  • You must be clear about your vision or ‘dream’
  • You must understand how all this works
  • You must know how to turn thoughts into realities

Now, if you’re not sure about this bit, if you don’t have a really clear, written down, vision or ‘dream’, and if you’re unclear why you need to do this or how it works; then (before you rush in to staring a business) that is where you need to start.

But let’s assume for the moment that you’ve done this, and you do have a clear vision for your future – what you want to be, do, have and give – and that you know what the life you’d love to live looks and feels like.

Let’s assume that your reason is in place, you know that you want your own business for, and that you’re ready to get started.

Simon Sinek in his book ‘Start With Why’ states that “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” – so this has to be clear.

Watch this short video about deciding for your passion and whether you should have your own personal business.