One of the major pointers to success for any business owner is the ability to become laser focused on a specific audience, developing solutions for them, and building expert status. But, how do you find that place where you want to put all your focus? How do you determine where you want your focus to be?
Be Mindful of Dissatisfaction Cues
If you get a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you’re not happy with where you are going, pay attention to it. It’s not healthy to go through life pretending to be happy when you’re not. The trick is to figure out why you’re not happy, then work toward changing those circumstances. Perhaps you’re a banker working in an office, but your hobby is handcrafting canoes. When you’re at the bank you feel dead inside. But you think that’s all you know so you plan to start a business that has to do with numbers, such as bookkeeping.
However, when you’re sanding and polishing the canoe you feel alive. Pay attention to that feeling and find a way to bring that excitement to your business by doing something with the audience who loves canoes. You might decide to focus on teaching others how to make their own canoes, or taking people on canoe trips to exotic places. Maybe you add in kayaking adventures and more outdoor adventures to your business. You feel excited, happy and alive. You’ve found your business focus.
Determine Where Your Gifts Lie
What are you good at doing? In the example above the person has an ability with numbers due to education or a former passion, but their true calling is the outdoors. Someone like that will always be unhappy being stuck inside an office toiling away at a computer. Sure, all businesses have paperwork to do, but it’s important for you to figure out how your gifts align with a business that you’ll love.
The canoe lover’s ability with numbers will come in handy building a business that focuses on other canoe lovers and outdoor adventure seekers. Write down your skills (whether you have fun doing them or not), then write down the things you’re passionate about. Give it a few days to consider how these things can relate together.
Be honest with yourself about what you really will love doing, compared to what you’ve been told you will make money at. Making money is essential to your life, of course, but money will not cure misery if what you’re doing doesn’t bring you happiness too.
Talk to Someone
It can be helpful to find someone to talk to about what kind of business you want to start before doing it. A business life coach can be very helpful in weeding through all the questions and getting to the right answers for you. However, don’t employ a life coach if you’re not willing to think outside yourself, and let go of fears. A life coach can only guide you; you’re the one who is going to be doing all the hard work. If you’re not ready for hard work, the coaching will not be successful.
There is no reason why your passion cannot also be a way to make money. You just have to figure out how to do it. Be creative, think outside the box, and before you know it, your business will fill your bank with money and your heart with joy. If your business is aligned with your values, and offers you the ability to do things that you’re good at and enjoy, you will be successful.
Even if you can’t go all the way as in the example above, perhaps you can focus your business in some way. For instance, the person described here could become a bookkeeper specifically for outdoor adventure businesses. The sky is only the limit if your imagination ends there.