Once you've decided that the entrepreneurial life is for you, the next step is to figure out how you are going to make this a reality. Owning your own business is great, but you have to have a plan to get there.Many coaches will tell you that you don't have to love a product or service to promote it. It's simply business and as long as it helps you reach your goals, who cares? I disagree. I think the more passionate you are about your chosen business, the more likely you are to stick with it and make it successful. People - prospective clients, customers, business partners - can sense that passion and gravitate towards it. I know I would rather do business with someone who loves what they do! So while you shouldn't automatically rule anything out when exploring your options, I would watch out for the "business is business" mindset.
Choosing a business is all about matching your skills, interests, desires, values, and goals together. I am a certified coach and trainer (skill). Education is important to me (interest). Helping others is important to me (values). I want to have more time for my family (desire). I want to have my own business (goal). Skill + Interest + Values + Goal = Training/coaching business!
I have a friend who is wildly successful in network marketing and while I also do network marketing, I am not nearly as successful at it as she is. It is not where my interest or skill set lies. I am not passionate about it. And so I don't put as much time and effort into it. And like anything else in life, you will get out of your business what you put into it.
Running your own business is not a walk in the park. It takes time, patience, dedication. It takes the ability and desire to learn the skills necessary. It takes financial investment.
Ready to start exploring your business options? Think about the following question. They will help you assess your skill, interests, and goals and start you down the path to your perfect business.
1. What activities do you enjoy most? What are you passionate about? What ideas could you create around what you love to do?
2. What are your strongest skills? What are you REALLY good at? What ideas could you create around your skills?
3. What are you weaknesses? I don't care how passionate you are about something. If you don't have the skills, you won't be successful. You need to know this up front so you can plan to outsource them or look at other business options.
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How much money do you want to make? Where will you live? What will your perfect day look like? Dream big!
5. How much time, money, and effort can you invest in reaching these goals? Be honest! It is not always necessary to invest a large amount of money to get started, but you will almost always need to invest a little. How much can you afford? And starting a business will definitely take time and effort. How much of each will you realistically devote to this?
Next step - matching your skills, interests, goals, and resources to the perfect business for you!
