by Dan Brunell

It’s helpful to have a clear vision of why, before we can truly grasp how. We need to examine our individual reasons for being self employed in the first place, so that our appreciation of the stakes is crystal clear. Simply wanting our own business is not enough. We need to define the specific end result that we want to achieve by owning a business. This exercise makes it very clear to us why we should give the business our all.

Very few people make a living pursuing their passion in life. For most of us, our career is a vehicle that allows us to gain access to the things in life that are truly important. Any business can have its frustrations, but they need to be taken in the right context. If you have a clear vision of what your business can help you achieve for yourself or your family, it minimizes the impact of the parts of the business you may not enjoy as much. 

Your motivating factor might be a desire for more time with your family, better control of your destiny, more money or pursuing a specific passion. You should identify whatever the primary driver is for you and then flesh out the accompanying goals that go along with it. Let’s assume you want to own your business so you can have control of your time and be a better father/mother/husband/wife. If you sketched out the specific objectives that went along with that it might look like this:

• Be involved in my kids lives on a daily basis
• Make sure my kids get the best possible education
• Spend more time with my spouse
• Interact more with my extended family and friends
• Give back to my community
• Continue to make a good living
• Pursue my own personal enrichment goals

These are the things that will drive you every day. By keeping these goals in front of you and enjoying the benefits that come with attaining them, you will not only be able to suffer the slings and arrows inherent in business ownership but you will actually enjoy the opportunity to face them.  

Dan Brunell is President of Dearborn West, LLC, an international franchisee recruiting firm headquartered in Temecula, CA. He can be reached at (951) 587-6929 or on the web at www.dearbornwest.com.