Today we are starting to look to the future (yee ha, the exciting stuff!), exploring the importance of having an inspiring vision for your life and for your business so that you can achieve the 3 P's: Purpose, Passion and Profit!
Do you have a clear vision for the kind of life you want and most importantly, does it align with your business vision and strategy?
It makes perfect sense to set up a business that helps you to achieve all the wonderful hopes and dreams you envisage for your life right? Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out this way. Many entrepreneurs jump on the small business band wagon without taking a moment to step back and look at their ideas or vision for their business and ask themselves:
Is this business actually a good fit for me? If I achieve my vision for my business, will it have brought me closer to my hopes and dreams for my life outside of work? Will starting this business bring me closer to, or further from, my personal purpose and vision?
The important thing to realise here is that there is a recipe for business success that will deliver work life balance AND a great income. If you want to cook it up you need the following four key ingredients.
A clear and inspired Personal Purpose and Vision for your life A clear and inspired Business Purpose and Vision that is well-aligned with your personal ones above. A kick-butt business strategy that cleverly combines #1 and #2 with business models and digital or mobile marketing strategies that empower you to do what you are passionate about AND make a great profit at the same time (more on this coming up soon in the series!).
A business plan that pulls it all together, inspires others to get onboard and provides you with a road map for getting there. If you follow these four steps, you will rocket towards your vision for your life and for your business.
On the flip side, if your business vision (and therefore your business strategy) is out of alignment with your personal vision, your business may hold you back from achieving your dreams or in the worst case, send you off in the wrong direction altogether! Nobody wants to wake up one morning and realise that they have just spent the last few years on a journey that has taken them somewhere they did not want to be right?
Vision explained
Wait a minute. What exactly is a 'Vision'?
Good question! Let's backtrack a little because it's really important that everyone is clear on this. 'Vision' can seem like a big scary word however really, it is simply a roadmap to get you moving towards your ideal life and business. A 'Vision' is about starting out where you mean to end up by exploring your wildest hopes and dreams for your life and business. Without a clear vision, it is much harder to stay on track and stay true to who you really are.
When was the last time you took a look at your Vision for your life?
The reality is that many of the people reading this post probably don't have a vision of any kind, personal or business! Although we all understand at some level the importance of capturing our hopes and dreams for the future, very few of us ever get around to doing it. For some people it's a lack of time – they are caught up on the treadmill of life, running at speed and struggling to find any time to pause, reflect on the journey so far or to look to the future.
For others, working on a Vision sounds like a great idea to grow their small business, however they aren't sure how to go about it and so they let it slide, continuing on as is.
Are you ready to create a clear vision for your life and business?
Great, because you are in the right place! It is time to stop living day to day and thinking small and to start thinking big. Schedule some time in this week NOW (an hour or so should do) to get started. This is a great step towards re-igniting your passion for your business and boosting your business revenue.
