Elevate your Business: Start with Your Why
One of our main core values is Elevate. This month we’re going to be talking about ways you can elevate your business, what it means to our community, and how elevating your business can help you make money and attract funding! But before you can truly begin to elevate the work that you are doing, you have to start with your why.
When you first hung out your virtual shingle and decided to become an entrepreneur, what did it feel like?
You were probably thinking of all the things that had to be done in order to walk away from your 9-5, and said: “I can’t wait until this awful job is over.” Or ” I just want to be home with my family.” Or even “They are not paying me nearly enough. I deserve more!”
Sound familiar?
There were probably a million other thoughts going through your head as you processed how to make the change from employee to entrepreneur, and finally hand in that resignation letter.
At the time, these thoughts were great for motivating you to take the leap, but they are not enough to sustain you during the inevitable tough times and challenges that that every business owner faces.
In order to elevate your business to new heights, you need a much stronger foundation then motivation. You need to be clear about your purpose and start with your why.
To find the drive, energy and inspiration to take your business from “good idea” to “dream biz”, you have to identify the real why behind what you do.
Start With your Why In These Three Areas:
Passion and Heart –
“Passion based” and “heart centered” are phrases that have been thrown around a lot lately in the business world, and for good reason. When you are doing something that you are truly passionate about, it shows. People can feel it in your words and your actions. That heart and passion based why can be an incredibly powerful motivator.
When you’re motivated from a place of what’s important to you, it’s much easier to stay focused and push through the challenges that come up. It also makes it a lot more fun to work on your business every day!
Does your why come from a place of passion? Does your heart and values drive you to do the work that you love as a business owner?
Finances –
What is the financial why behind your mission to be a successful business owner? Maybe it’s that you want to retire early and travel the world, or perhaps you want to buy your dream home or car? Could your financial motivator be supporting a cause or community you’re involved with? Or maybe it’s give your children the things you didn’t have access to when you were growing up. Whatever your big dream, staying at your 9-5 wasn’t going to get you there.
When we talk about big WHY’s we mostly hear about passion or heart based motivation, the truth is that there is nothing wrong with wanting financial fulfillment. Money is necessary tool in life and the more we have, the easier it can be to achieve our goals. Wanting to have more money is nothing to be ashamed of and having a healthy money mindset is vital as a business owner!
Does money or the freedom money brings drive you to be a successful entrepreneur? Is it the main motivation behind what you do? Or do you consider it a motivator, but not your BIG why?
Philanthropy –
There are plenty of business owners that join our community of women in business because they want to help others. They have a philanthropic why behind their work. Maybe they want to help women get out of poverty, or provide clean water to people in need, or even just make sure that no one goes hungry. You probably have heard of or even know an entrepreneur that started their business for the express purpose of giving their profit to a cause they believed in.
When our work is connected to something larger then ourselves, it can give us the extra push we need to take our business to the next level.
Does a cause you care about drive you to succeed as a female entrepreneur?
There is no right or wrong type of WHY. You might even have a combination of why types, or maybe all three resonate with you. What categories your why falls in truly doesn’t matter, as long as you know WHAT your why is and what it means to you!
To start with your why and understand what motivates you, there are some questions you can ask yourself:
What are your biggest dreams?
If money was no object, what would you do?
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
What lights you up and excites you?
When do you feel most fulfilled?
These are just a few examples, but answering these questions can help to give you some clarity around your why. I highly recommend using these questions as a journal prompt and going into as much detail as possible!
Do you know what your why is and which category it falls into? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
