Entrepreneurs

When you think about why you do what you do, go a little deeper than just the obvious.  Some will say, “We do what we do to make money.”  That’s only the most superficial reason—and not a very good reason at that.  You can make money anywhere, doing most anything.  Don’t let go of the question until you’ve plumbed the depths of your purpose, your cause and how your personal beliefs drive the enterprise.  You know you’ve hit on your Why when you can say, “This is my function; it is what I stand for; my company exists for these things.  It is the first, last and the only reason we endure.”

Want to know more? Visit us at The Barr Business School where entrepreneurs go to win!

If you don’t discover how to build your business with a rock solid foundation, then it’s pretty much guaranteed to fail.

On the other hand when you have a solid foundation… you can rebuild, relaunch and reinvent yourself and your business time and time again.

So what goes into a solid foundation?

One word…

Strategy…

Social psychologists urge their followers to find their inner selves.  It’s a pop mantra that we won’t chant.  Instead, we define your Why as something very specific.  It is your most valuable business tool.  Knowing your Why is the first step.  Why is simply understanding, accepting and articulating your own purpose and that of your enterprise.  Think of it as a guide. 

 Don’t confuse Why with How and What.  Why is simply your purpose, your cause and your belief.  It is essentially, Why you are here.  What, on the other hand, is what you do.  It’s easily identifiable.  If you are the LEADER of Ford, What is that you make cars.  If you are IBM, you make computers.  How is only slightly less readily identified.  How is your guiding values and the process by which you create your result.  It is your manufacturing process, your patents, your factories and your employees.  

But we’re after your Why—a more difficult, introspective task to identify.  Think of your purpose in life and that of your enterprise.  What is your cause?  What do you believe in?

 Are you playing to win?