What Have You Created For Yourself?
Written on October 27, 2007 by Amanda M. Gladden
Do you remember the day you worked for a company — large or small, it doesn’t matter — and dreamed of owning your own business?
“I will be *the boss*”, you thought.
“I will come and go as I please and make my own hours”, you thought.
“I will take vacations whenever I want”, you thought.
“I will have plenty of money to do what I want”, you thought.
And then you started your own business.
My, my how things have changed.
Now you are the boss, the marketing director, the bookkeeper, the widget maker, the customer service rep. No longer are you working 9am to 5pm.
You are now working 8am until 10pm, seven days a week (did I mention that there’s no overtime?).
Vacations? You can’t go on a vacation. No vacation = no incoming revenue. No incoming revenue = no bills paid. And we won’t discuss what that equals.
So I ask you. . .”What have you created for yourself?”
While you’re no longer at the mercy of your old boss (tyrant that she was), you have a new boss. And she’s even worse, because she’s *you*.
The sad truth is that most small business owners are not entrepreneurs; they are employees masquerading as entrepreneurs.
Nothing can dash the optimism and dreams of a budding entrepreneur more than being forced into the role of an employee. . .and with themselves as *the boss*.
Don’t despair! This IS reversible! It’s time to ask yourself the “5W’s”:
* Who?
* What?
* Where?
* When?
* Why?
1. Who?
In an *ideal* world, who would be your customers? Your clients? What personality types do you like? Who would you never want to work with? (The “not” is just as important.)
2. What?
What are you doing in this ideal world? Are you a service provider? What services do you offer? Do you make and sell widgets?
3. Where?
Where do you do this thing you do? Do you have a home office? Do you spend 6 months in one place and 6 months in another?
4. When?
When is YOUR peak productivity time? It’s time to schedule around that, not around typical business hours.
Remember. . .this is YOUR ideal business. If you focus on, and repeatedly deliver, *results*, your clients won’t care about WHEN you get things done.
5. Why?
Why did you go into business for yourself?
No matter your reasons, the one that must be at the top of the list for you to be successful is “to make a profit”. If you are not approaching your business with the goal of making a profit (in addition to any other goals you may have), you will end up leaving the “profit” part to chance and that is a recipe for failure.
It’s critical to your success and happiness that you build a business to support the LIFESTYLE you want. Don’t work yourself to the bone now and *hope* there will be time and money to enjoy later.
Your Coaching Challenge
I challenge you to review the “5Ws” above and answer them as if there were no limitations on how you could create your business (because there aren’t!).
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The Get Control of Your Business Now! ™ Coach, Sandra Martini teaches small business owners how to create more success in their business while enjoying more freedom from their business. Sandra’s coaching programs are available via teleconferencing, emails and telephone calls. For more information and to receive the FREE special report, “7 Wealth-Building Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs”, go to http://www.SandraMartini.com
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RELATED POST: Are You an Entrepreneur or Self Employed?
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October 28th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
[…] are still in a situation where no work = no income, you are self-employed. In the next guest post, What Have You Created for Yourself?, business coach Sandra Martini explains the 5W’s you should be asking yourself to avoid […]
November 1st, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I read a book called the E-Myth that really reminds me of this post. You’ve got a lot interesting points–people forget that owning a business isn’t really liberation
November 26th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
I think this is a mistake many people make when they start their own business. It is true that everybody wants profit, but profit doesn’t always mean money. It can mean free time, vacations, leisure, but one has to be really strong to stop himself from working like crazy. Otherwise, we will find ourselves at a point, too old to have the strength to enjoy what we have achieved.
December 13th, 2007 at 4:42 am
[…] you were like me, you own your job and want to make the change, now what? Check out Amanda’s post on the 5Ws and pick up a copy of the E-Myth Revised. And perhaps check out Christine’s How I choose a […]