In this scene of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, Alice is seeking direction from the Cheshire cat. I think we’ve all felt this way, at some point.
Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don’t much care where.
The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.
A lot of times, running a business can leave you feeling lost and directionless, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Whether you’re a startup or you’ve been in business for years, defining the end goal of your business is one the most critical steps in building the business and life that you want. I call it, defining your win, and it’s one of the first exercises I cover with new clients.
Seems simple enough, right? Certainly, anyone who has jumped through the dozens of hoops to start a business, begins with a clear vision of the future. Unfortunately, it’s not as common as it should be.
Whether you’re just getting started or you’re a veteran business owner, investing the time to get clear about what you want is very smart. Figuring out what you want requires introspection and doesn’t always come easy so don’t get discouraged. Keep working at it until you’re confident that you’ve defined your win. Here are a few questions to help you get started:
- Why am I starting a business?
- What are the things I want to spend my time doing once my business is in its end state?
- What are the things I don’t want to spend my time doing?
- How much money do I want/need to make and when do I expect to hit that mark?
- Do I want to manage employees? If so, how many?
- What will the balance of my personal/family time and work time be?
- Do I want to run my business indefinitely, or am I building it to sell it?
Once you get clear about what you want, it allows you to be disciplined and intentional about how you build your business. Decision making becomes easier, leadership becomes consistent, the roadmap becomes clear. Again, step one is knowing where you’re going. Step two through two million are how you get there.
Give it a shot, and if you have questions or comments leave them below!