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Wow, what a whirlwind of activity I’ve had lately! I enjoyed sponsoring an event in San Diego last weekend followed by a couple of days of R&R with my family and parents in Arizona. I’m now in Atlanta with my own mentor to work on my business! I’ve always wanted to travel more with my business, and it’s exciting that more and more of this has been happening this year! Whoo, hoo!
I’m reminded of my “why” in terms of why I’m in this business. I’m so thankful that I get to set my own schedule, which enables me to take vacations with my family — like my trip to beautiful Canada last summer :)
Read on for tips on how to discover your “why” and why it’s so important for the success of your business.
Connect with yourself for a few minutes and really think about why you started your business. Is it an area you excelled at or were passionate about? Most people have a meaningful reason for starting their business. Maybe something happened in your life that caused you to re-assess your career or made you passionate about fighting for a cause. There is likely a reason of importance hidden in there somewhere :)
Knowing your why will help you stay motivated. If you’re going through a low point in your business – which we all do, it just means you’re on track with being an entrepreneur! – being aware of your why will connect you with those feelings of excitement and purpose. This will help you stay focused and be inspired to hang in there through ups and downs.
Your why should be everywhere. Successful businesses have their “why” sprinkled throughout their marketing. For instance, my why is to help people do what makes them happy. This involves dreaming big, going for it and not settling for less. I include this on my website, in my bio and when I’m out talking to others. The background of my “why” usually comes up in conversation too. The short answer is that I felt stuck in my career and ended up watching the movie “The Secret”, which changed my life forever. People like hearing this story and feel connected to me as a result. This helps me build relationships, which in turn helps me grow my business. While I was at the luncheon earlier this week, I inspired someone to watch the movie again! That alone made my day. If I can motivate just one person to do something that will better their lives, then it’s been a good day :)
The other “why” to be aware of is in terms of sales (let’s face it, every entrepreneur is in sales), why should someone work with you? You’ve probably heard of WIIFM. In case you haven’t it stands for; What’s in it for me? People aren’t really interested in how you do things; it’s more about what you can do for them. What results will they get as a result from working with you? What can you do for them? If you know this and have prepared your sales calls around the answers, you will be much more appealing to your prospects. You can also include this “why” in all of your marketing. People want to know how you will solve whatever issue/problem they are facing. Take a few minutes and right down everything you do for your current clients. This will help you identify the results others get as a result of working with you.
Remembering your “why” everyday will keep you motivated and help you feel like you’re contributing to something bigger then just you. It will inspire you to keep going. Our world needs you and your unique gifts, so please hang in there through thick and thin :)
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Written by Chris Atley, Life & Business Coach for entrepreneurs. Coaching designed to help you make more money doing what you love. Create your ideal business by grabbing my manifesto kit for free at: www.totalharmonycoaching.com
