I coach a lot on authors and speakers who want to be “full time” authors and speakers. I can help them get visibility in the media, build their platform, get speaking gigs, attract publishing deals, etc. – but my first question is WHY. “Why do you want to be an entrepreneur?” What’s your WHY?
They immediately say:
- “I can’t wait to get away from this awful job and work for myself.”
- “I just want to be home and do what I want to do when I want.”
- “This dead-end job is going nowhere.”
- “I’m tired of working crazy hours and holidays.”
- “I know I’m worth more than they’re paying me.”
These and many, many other thoughts go through the heads of every would-be business owner, and are often the driving force behind that final, “I quit.” Quitting a job to “work for yourself” is not a business – that’s a hustle.
The great resignation is real but folks you need to run your business like a business – and not on feelings.
What’s Your Why? Before you “quit” really think about what you are doing. Click To TweetHaving the attitude to “work for yourself” is great for lighting a fire and inspiring you to make a scary jump to starting a business full-time, but not so fabulous at motivating you to grow and improve. It won’t help you BUILD a business.
Just resigning won’t inspire you to increase your skills and raise your rates and be brave and authentic in your marketing. Just quitting a job you hate to work for yourself won’t help you find the courage to hire a new coach or launch a brand new program.
To find the inspiration to make your business thrive, you have to identify the real why behind what you do. Click To TweetPassionate Whys
“Passion based” is a phrase that’s found a massive following in the past few years, and seems to be the holy grail of entrepreneurial adventures. And for business owners with a true passion for their field, it can be a strong motivator. My branding accelerator client, Laticia Nicole is a serial entrepreneur and multi-passionate about a lot of things. She has several businesses, which are all successful, because she is passionate about each one – and does the work necessary to make them successful. She’s an author, speaker, coach, licensed evangelist, nursing facility owner administrator, an influencer – and she does events where she sells her own line of eyelashes and lipsticks. Oh, and she has an amazing planner that shows you how get everything done.
Some business owners are passionate about a subject, spending all their waking hours learning about the topic. Some are passionate about a market, and would do anything to help their ideal client achieve his or her goals.
Whichever type of passion-based business owner you are, learning to harness that passion will help take your business to the next level.
Financial Whys
Maybe you want to retire and travel the world, or send your kids to an elite private school. Maybe you love cars, and dream of driving a brand new Benz or Bentley.
Whatever your big dream, you knew you’d never make it while putting in time at the day job. While everyone seems to go on and on about those passion-based dreams, the truth is there’s nothing wrong with wanting financial fulfillment. Money is a necessary tool. We need it, and the more we have, the easier life is. And wanting more of it is nothing to be ashamed of, as long as you maintain your integrity and authenticity in pursuit of it.
Philanthropic Whys
Plenty of online business owners go into business so they can have more to give. You’ve no doubt heard of—or maybe even know—marketers who use their earnings to fund mission trips, build schools in war-torn, third world countries, and support a variety of charities at home and abroad. Others use the time freedom they’ve built into their business to volunteer with local hospitals, animal shelters and children’s organizations.
If you have a heart for a cause, a philanthropic why might be the driving force that takes your business to the next level.
To find your own why, consider your biggest dreams. If money were no object, what would you be doing?
