We all go into business with grand plans.  We are going to do it better than anyone else.  We have grand designs of changing the world, and retiring with more money than we will know what to do with.  For most of us in business though, this never happens.  Why not?  Where does it all go wrong?  We forget why we went into business in the first place.  We forget our why.

Surely the Why is not that Important?

Some say the Why is overrated and not that important.  I believe that it is the most important aspect of when you go into business.  It is also important to remember as you go through business.  Keeping your Why front of mind makes all aspects of your business easier.  Business decisions become easier, because you know what the end game is.  When things become tough, a review of your Why allows you to straighten up and do what needs to be done.  It is easier to keep fighting when you know what you are fighting for.

What happens if I lose my Why?

I have been in business for 15 years now.  When I first started out I had grand plans of making the world a better place.  I had a clear focus when I started about Why I was doing it.  I wanted to help small business make more profit and pay less tax.  Personally, I wanted to give my family the best possible life.  Five years in, I forgot what my purpose was.  Then the following happened;

• I started losing interest in what I was doing
• I started making decisions that negatively affected my business because I had lost the focus
• Cashflow started to dry up
• Profit dropped
• My relationship with my family changed and not in a good way

I needed to do something about it.

Actions to Know your Why

The following are the steps that I took to reignite the passion for what I was doing.

• Write down what is important to you. List all the things that you value and all the things you want to achieve in your life.  Get your Bucket-List down on paper so that it can start to become real
• Be specific. The more specific you can be the better you can visualise it happening and the greater chance you will have for success.
• Review your business to realign it to your values and ensure that it is heading they way you want it to. Design it with the end goal in mind to give you the maximum chance of achieving your goals.
• When making business decisions ask this one simple question. “By making this decision, am I getting closer to what I want to achieve?”

These simple steps helped me regain my Why and reignited my business.  I have no doubt that they could help you as well.