It Doesn’t Have to Be One or the Other…It’s Our Job as Businesses to Find Both
When thinking about business ownership or leadership, the focus often is on making a lot of money. Not that there’s anything wrong with making money. The problem is when money becomes the driving factor.
We’re all aware of those people who have been super profitable in their business. You know…those rags to riches stories where someone started out with nothing, came up with a new idea and became wealthy.
Making a lot of money is a big reason why so many people decide to start a business.
It doesn’t help that we are constantly being bombarded with some new product, formula or process that is a “shortcut to wealth”. The problem is…most of them aren’t.
This isn’t to say that they can’t or won’t work. What I’m saying is…more often than not…these things sound better than they really are.
After my wakeup call in 2012, while recovering from my accident, I began researching ways to share my construction expertise and business experience with others. I thought, I’ll help construction companies and customers through coaching and consulting.
The problem was…I knew how to run a construction company…not do virtual coaching and/or consulting.
So, I subscribed, bought, downloaded and joined multiple programs, courses, classes and trainings in an effort to turn this new idea into a business.
It didn’t go as well as was expected.
Not that I didn’t gain a lot of valuable knowledge, insight and things that I can and will use.
The problem is that it was the proverbial “getting the horse ahead of the cart” thing. We’re being bombarded through commercials, emails, social media, etc. with the next shiny new thing that is going to be the answer to all our business prayers.
All those things that I was sure were what I needed to get my next business up and going…weren’t.
This led to feeling like I was, “wandering, lost in the business dessert”.
After feeling this way for a while, I began to doubt myself. Maybe that great idea I had wasn’t so great after all. Too often this kind of thinking leads to saying to heck with it and giving up.
In our mastermind last week, Becky Warner shared that she had an aha moment when she realized that starting out trying to sell too much, too early, was a mistake. She said, we need to start with connection and community.
Connection and community…these are the same as SERVICE!
When I heard her sharing her thoughts about this, I felt relief. It was a confirmation that I wasn’t the only one feeling like this.
Starting the journey across the business dessert with unrealistic expectations leads to wandering.
The information that Becky shared with the group confirmed what I had been feeling. I needed to look back at what had worked in my construction business and that was…focus on service, not on sells.
This isn’t to say that sells don’t matter. What I am saying is…
Our businesses are more than just profit.
We have all been given skills and abilities that provide a service to others. If we figure out what that purpose is and use it, we can sell more and make more.
97% of businesses fail within 10 years. This is in large part to their focus on sells and not service. I don’t know about you, but I want to be part of the thriving 3% of businesses that succeed.
If you provide service…the sells will follow.
