A Passion Worth Pursuing BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR PROBIZ CENTRE - January 17, 2018 PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 1
Passion Passion is your drive, ambition and the love of what you do and who you serve. It may come from life circumstances or from an inner motivation. It may be fuelled by creativity or seeing a need. Stop and ask yourself: What is your true passion? What makes you excited about what you are doing? The difference between those who push through difficult times and those who do not - is passion. PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 2
For some it is the idea of FREEDOM. Freedom is the ability to spend your time and money as you see fit. Financial freedom enables you to not only grow your business and pay your employees, but to also give your family the quality of life you want for them. Freedom enables you to invest time in causes that matter to you, whether that is with your family, friends or hobbies. For others, they see themselves making an IMPACT. Impact should be at the core of your business. You might think that when your business reaches a certain stage of growth or you have a bigger budget you ll then decide to make an impact. Don t wait! Start from the beginning. Very early in our business we made giving and helping others a key part of our purpose. If having an impact is a key part of your business from day one, you will make an impact on someone s life every day. Remember, it s OK and you should expect your vision to change and evolve over time. The key is to have a vision for what kind of impact your company can have and let that be another force to drive you forward. Passion, freedom and impact are not isolated -- they work together and are achieved together. Without a passion for your business, you can t have the PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 3
freedom you desire or the strength to make an impact. Without freedom, you ll never make an impact and your passion is wasted. If you are not making an impact you re not experiencing the freedom entrepreneurship allows, nor are you allowing your passion to be fulfilled. PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 4
Perseverance Entrepreneurship can be a game of endurance. It s not just about big ideas and ideals. It s not just about hopes and dreams. It s not just about guts and glory. It s not even about invention and innovation. It s about who will persevere when the going gets tough. You ve most likely heard about, or watched, one of the great boxing matches - opponents equally skilled, equally qualified to win. What is most often the predictor in those matches is perseverance or endurance. Under tremendous physical strain, each boxer will give it her/his best effort but it comes down to who remains standing. You may not consider your business a boxing match, but sometimes it can sure feel like it! PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 5
Perseverance -- sometimes called "grit" -- is the great leveler. You don't have to be the wealthiest, have the most friends, or be the smartest kid in the class; if you persevere, you can reach your goals. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, is currently the second-richest female entertainer on the planet, behind Oprah. However, when Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book in 1995, it was rejected by twelve different publishers. As a young man, Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star Newspaper because his boss thought he lacked creativity. Simon Cowell is a pop icon and a very wealthy man. But early in life, Cowell faced his fair share of struggles. At age 15, Cowell dropped out of school and bounced around jobs. He eventually landed a job in the mail room of EMI Music Publishing. These are just a few examples of entrepreneurs - just like you - who made it because of their willingness to persevere. PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 6
Purpose Simon Sinek, in his book Start with Why says, Very few people or companies can clearly articulate why they do what they do. When I say why, I don t mean to make money that s a result. By why I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? Why does your company exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 7
Drive by Dan Pink s is a wonderful book about motivation, in which he argues that people are most engaged when they have autonomy, opportunity for mastery, and commit to a clearly defined purpose. Make your purpose crystal clear - to yourself - to your customers. One major but simple way to focus your business purpose is to make sure your purpose is as clear as possible. That means constantly talking about it - whether that s through blogging, content creation, social media, branding or in small ways like everyone having a plaque on their desks with our company s nine core values on it. We even have those core values in big words on a wall in the conference room. You can t miss them. A clear purpose is more engaging to a customer. Think about the success of companies like Burt s Bees, or Warby Parker. They are upfront and honest about why they make their products a certain way. They want you to know: We re doing things differently. They are transparent about the heart of their business and how they're trying to make a difference in the world. It s attractive in a way that makes people want to be a part of it. Strive for constant improvement. PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 8
Being purpose-focused is no easy task. It takes work and constant improvement (which is one of our company values). That s why it s also important to remember that it s a process. Remind yourself and your employees often about how the purpose of the business is playing out. During weekly staff meetings, we have a spotlight moment on how we ve seen one of our values being lived out by a team member or customer that week. We are also open about sharing the struggles and victories of everyday business - it is a helpful reminder that you can always serve your customers better. *Some content quoted from Forbes, Entrepreneur magazine articles. For more information about Passion, Perseverance and Purpose, we recommend reading: Grit by Angela Duckworth and Getting Grit by Caroline Adams Miller. PASSION WORTH PURSUING - PROBIZ CENTRE 9