Episode A.002 Your Entrepreneurial Why

Your Dream
The fundamental questions of:

• Why did you get into business? 
• Why did you leave a comfortable job? 
• Why did you take on all the risk and stress by gambling on yourself?

The Questions (see obituary)

• What is it going to do? (envision the outcome - where are you, what are your surroundings, etc.)
• Why is it important? (how do you feel, why do you feel that way)
• What will you gain from it? (how does this make your life different)
• What will others gain from it? (gut check - how does impact people around you - positive, neutral, negative)

Mine - May 2002
To create a global grassroots movement to halt the spread of command economies by offering an alternative approach that morally and ethically creates wealth to those willing to own their lives.

Mine - Today
To create a moral and philosophical basis for living life on my terms. I was born with a debt for the gift of life and repayment is to understand my purpose and execute. I will use my life to help entrepreneurs build generational wealth for themselves and family while creating jobs that provide meaning to people's lives. 

Yours?

Philosophy
The Questions

• Why does this organization exist? (more than just money)
• What purpose does it serve? (the essence of a mission statement)
• Who does it serve? (the essence of a mission statement)
• How should it operate? (the essence of a values statement)
• How shouldn't it operate?  (the essence of a values statement)

Mine - May 2002
To provide the intellectual and moral basis behind free market capitalism, the life lived on its own terms where what is produced is always greater than what is consumed. A leader of a decentralized world based upon voluntary relations engaged in commerce. We will practice and role model our philosophy, our enterprise relationships will demonstrate the superiority of ideology to clients and partners.

Mine - Today
GrowthWorx exists to create opportunities for collaboration and sharing practical and proven tools for entrepreneurs. The organization will build solutions for everyday business problems through research, testing, and application within the company before making it available to entrepreneurs. We operate on market based principles where all active members, inside and out, have an ownership position and directly experience the consequences of their performance. 

Yours?

Obituary Exercise: Write Your Obituary
​This is a quick exercise that will help you with codifying your dream. You get to pick all of the details and tell the story the way you want it to read. Here are the elements:

1. How old were you?
2. What did you die of?
3. Where did you die; doing what?
4. What were the major roles you played (i.e. father, entrepreneur, husband, etc.)?
5. While playing those roles, what did you achieve?
6. While playing the roles, what activities did you engage in that led to the accomplishments?
7. What role did the business play in living the life you want to live?
8. What did you do with the business (sell, IPO, merge, liquidate, etc.

Obituary
Doe, Jonathan Q
Jonathan Doe passed away today at the age of 55. A well known business owner and serial entrepreneur, he was found dead at his desk by his employees Monday morning. He was working over the weekend and apparently died sometime between Friday night and Monday morning. Although no one missed him over the weekend because of his dedication to the business, foul play is not suspected. He leaves behind a loving wife, Brenda, and 4 children Jonathan Jr, Quincy, Fredrick, and Sarah.

Jonathan was known for his community service and various successful businesses in retail, food services, and hospitality. He was a giving employer and greatly loved by his employees for his concern for them.

However he left his family in considerable distress. The latest evaluation of the business leaves his estate with only enough money to pay off his loans, taxes, and for the funeral. When asked, his son Jonathan remarked “I will miss him, he was always working and never had enough time for me. I was looking forward to getting to know him.”

In lieu of sending flowers, his friends are asked to send their donations to “Save Brenda Fund.” 

For too many of us in business, especially the serial entrepreneurs, the obituary above is both a nightmare and an unfortunate reality.

Don't add your name to the list. It is time to transform your dream into reality, to embed your DNA in the business so you can be successful as an owner and in life as a person.