Today's actions, tomorrow's results

When it comes to building a business, solo entrepreneurs face decisions every day. We need to decide if we want to take on a certain client, who we want to partner with for joint ventures, or if we want to take on a new marketing project. One reason businesses suffer from indecision or poor decisions is that they skipped over the foundational work that sets the stage for what the business stands for.
Good business planning always starts with the basic fundamentals of vision, purpose, and values. These are the keystones that create a strong structure and a solid base. Here are a few thoughts to take with you as you work on your business…
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know if you get there? Vision is one of the core principles I teach and this is a favorite saying to go along with it. Where you are tomorrow depends on the decisions you make today. If you fail to put a stake in the ground and claim your place you will always be blowing in the wind, chasing the next best thing, and generally not moving very far. On the other hand, if you claim your position in the marketplace and have a clear idea of where you want to go, it is more likely that you will stay on the straight and narrow path. It doesn’t mean you won’t get distracted along the way but if you get off track at least you have a track to get back on. Start by laying out the vision of where you see your business going.
What is the purpose of your business, anyway? Like vision, your purpose serves as a guide and keeps you on course. Why are you in business? Who are you trying to serve? How are you trying to serve? Another word for purpose is mission, more specifically your mission statement. A mission statement is only a couple of sentences describing your purpose for being in business. Do you have a mission statement? If not, you could be blindly doing business without even knowing why. That can be a recipe for disaster because it can take you down the wrong road, dealing with the wrong people, focusing on the wrong things. You’ll find that your ultimate purpose has less to do with making money and more to do with living in your sweet spot – that place where what you love to do comes together with what you’re good at it and results in making money.
Your actions speak so loudly, I cannot hear what you say. This is what happens if you don’t have core values that are actually practiced. Core values are the essence of what your business stands for. They are often things like honesty, integrity, trust, and authenticity. Sounds good, right? Sometimes business owners mistakenly think that if they say things long enough and loud enough they become true. That’s simply not the case. You should never have to say these things… I’m honest, you can trust me, I’m authentic, our company has integrity. In fact, I don’t know about you but my radar goes up immediately when I hear someone telling me these things. When core values are acted out day after day nothing needs to be said because people can see that it’s true. A picture paints a thousand words perfectly sums this thought up. What are your core values?
As you can see, these 3 ideas are important for laying a firm foundation on which to build a business. As you can also tell, figuring out what each of these means to you and your business takes some thoughtful contemplation. Unfortunately, most people skip over these things and jump right into marketing their business. My encouragement for you is that you will not be like most people… you will be different, you will stand out from the crowd, you will embrace the truth that what you do today shapes who you become tomorrow. Remember, you can achieve whatever you believe as long as you are willing to work for it!