In full disclosure, I may or may not have the Shawn Mendes song stuck in my head at this particular moment. My girls, Layla and Vivienne, are currently obsessed with that song, as well as the rest of the Sing 2 soundtrack. But the thought of “nothing holding me back” got me excited all over again. That’s why I started my business in the first place. I wanted to be able to succeed or fail according to my efforts and abilities. I wanted to be able to say “YES!” to my customers. I wanted to be able to unconventional if needed to take advantage of opportunities for me and those that depend upon me. Business ownership is the epitome of “nothing holding me back.”
The dark flip side of “nothing holding me back” is “nothing pushing me forward.” There is no one double-checking to see if I am making wise decisions. There is no one Tracking my time or productivity. There is no rule saying I have to do anything if I don’t want to. Business ownership is an ultimate freedom. For better or worse, business owners get to do what they want.
So what gets you to working a productive week with no watchful eye? What compels me to learn new things even when my customers are mostly content with what they already have?
For business owners to be successful, they have to have fire from within driving them to want more. They have to want to pursue excellence for the pleasure of excellence. They have to have the humility to find flaws within themselves – for these are their opportunities for improvement. They have to have the drive to keep going even when it’s hard. Business ownership has been one of the most challenging roles I have ever played. If find myself in the situation from time-to-time in which I have hard conversations – which I hate. I have to often put the needs of my employees and customers first.
Even though it’s hard, I still can’t help but get all tingly and excited that I can transform my business, and hence, life, if I make good decisions, put in the effort, produce quality products, and meet the people that need our services. Business owners, we have nothing holding us back! We can make the decisions to deliver quality products and services to our customers! But we have to push ourselves forward – even when we’re tired. Even when it’s hard.
Luckily for my business, I get to be in the business of helping other businesses succeed. I get to write a blog encouraging other business owners. I get to build products and services that makes or saves businesses money. That’s my why. That’s what drives me to keep going. I love helping business owners succeed. I believe every business owner needs to find their own why to refer back to when motivation wanes. I’d love to hear back from you – what’s your “why?”
