Do you think having a business is a nice idea? Have you thought about that because you’ve been laid off or someone in your family has been? Are you taking the first steps and not sure what the best route is? Have you been taking steps for awhile, but not getting the traction you would like? Maybe you’ve even been in business for some time, seen some of the ups and downs, and wonder how will I really make a go of this?
If any of this is you, then you’re not alone. Not at all.
Today I want to talk about commitment, and what it really takes to make your dream a reality. I see too many business coaches out there talking about how easy it is to make money on-line, or to fill group programs, or just follow your bliss and the money will follow. And you know what—it’s just not true. It’s not, and you deserve to know the truth.
A nice idea (even a good idea), your desire, a change in your circumstances at work, and your efforts, are not enough to make a lucrative and impactful business.
You have to have at least these three factors:
- Passion, commitment, and drive to engage you and keep you engaged so that you refuse to procrastinate and instead do what you know needs to be done. Without the passion—and without your own personal mission about why you’re doing your business, what difference you want to make in the world with your business—you will find it very difficult to stay focused. The world is FULL of distractions, information, demands on your attention and time. AND business is full of losses as well as wins, things that are puzzling and confusing as well as rewarding, and personal growth like nothing else!
- It is possible to grow a financially successful business without passion and a mission. It’s not possible to create Soul Signature Success without it. And it’s a whole lot easier for you to get up every day, move through the challenges, when there’s something bigger that’s helping you keep your perspective on a vision, instead of on the person who annoyed you this morning because they didn’t do what you wanted them to do 😉
- Clear direction about what YOU need to do next and next and next. Not just generic ideas about how to grow your business that you get from free teleseminars and business coaches who haven’t yet themselves done the things that they teach about (yes, there are too many of those, unfortunately).
- Every person and every business is different. Having clear direction that helps YOU from where you are to where you want to go will shorten your learning curve and your income-growth curb by years (not just months). I stumbled along for a few years trying to follow my teachers, attend free teleseminars, and even investing in some programs that I thought would teach me what I needed to know to grow my business. I did okay, even better than most. But it wasn’t until I got customized support from a coach that everything began to change.
- Being in it for the long term. Anyone who has studied business knows this. I remember reading about Stonyfield Farm and their organic yogurt being in the red for 7 years before they started making a profit! And that’s not even unusual in a business of that size and scale. So many of you who are now either thinking about or have gone into business don’t really get this. Nor surprising, because you haven’t had the training you need to know what’s normal and what’s not.
- You have to be in it at least 3 years, committed and working it, before you even know what your business is really about. You start with an idea. Then you test it, you work it, you see if you can sell it, you modify or entirely revamp it, you uplevel yourself and your idea. Then you repeat the whole cycle. It takes awhile to know what you’ve got and what you can do with it.
- AND if you have the clear direction you need, you can make money during those years, absolutely. You can make money tomorrow—I show clients how to do that all the time. You can earn while you learn. I’m a great example of this. I’m just into the beginning of my third year in this business—and almost 1/2 million in revenue later—and I continue to evolve, clarify, and grow.
- It takes awhile for things to gel—ask anyone who’s really been successful in business and they will agree. It’s normal for it to take 3-5 years for your offerings to become clear, for you to know what you are really about, for the true foundation to be built.
Tell me what is true for you. Are you passionate and do you have a mission for your business? If so, share it below so we can all hold it for you. Are you in it for the long term? Make your declaration!