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Understanding the Propose of Your Business

Written by: Stefan Doering

Article Overview: And just like building a strong house, creating the business/career (or life for that matter) that you love all starts with having a solid foundation: where that cornerstone is placed. Why do you have your business? What is it you want to ultimately achieve with it? Beyond the fame and fortune. What is it that really gets you excited and out of bed in the morning? Discovering the purpose of your business can be simple… and not so simple! It requires you to really delve deeply into the core of what it is you are all about… as an entrepreneur/intrapreneur as well as a human being. Recently I have been promoting and working with clients building their Sustainability Blueprints.

Understanding the Propose of Your Business

A few years ago I came back from India, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to build houses for people living in poverty.

While on this amazing trip, one of the things that struck me while digging ditches and building houses was how incredibly important it is to have a strong foundation.

One of the other volunteers— an architect from Canada— explained that placing the first cornerstone is the most important step in creating a solid foundation. For placing everything after that will either be in alignment or not. When the first stone is set properly, the other stones go into place much easier. And if the stone is not set properly, the entire house will be unstable and weak, perhaps even unlivable.

And just like building a strong house, creating the business/career (or life for that matter) that you love all starts with having a solid foundation: where that cornerstone is placed. Why do you have your business? What is it you want to ultimately achieve with it? Beyond the fame and fortune. What is it that really gets you excited and out of bed in the morning?

Discovering the purpose of your business can be simple… and not so simple! It requires you to really delve deeply into the core of what it is you are all about… as an entrepreneur/intrapreneur as well as a human being.

Recently I have been promoting and working with clients building their Sustainability Blueprints. This is a map they are creating towards what their company is really all about when it comes to taking care of people, the planet all-the-while making a nice profit for themselves.

Here is a four-step process to determine your business’ (life’s) purpose:

1. Ask yourself the powerful question of “Why…” you are doing your business/career.

2. Listen for the answer. (For many, this is the most complicated step.) “Listen” for the ideas, inspiration, even knowing of why you are working towards what you are building.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until there are no more answers to “why”. Go deeper. Ask why that answer you just came up with is important to you. Keep digging until there are no more “why’s”.

4. “Check in” to make sure the answer is the answer. How does the ultimate “why” feel? Do you get excited? Inspired? Nervous?

It is important to note that it does not matter what the powerful questioning starts with, because going through this process will always lead to your ultimate answer.

For example, “Why am I building this business?” With your practiced “listening” skills you answer, “So I can make a lot of money and have financial freedom.”

Ask again, “Why do I want a lot of money and financial freedom?” And your answer may be something like, “So I can only work with the clients that inspire me.” Ask again, “Why do I want only work with clients that inspire me?” And keep going until you get to a “why…?” that can no longer be answered. An example business purpose would be to “transform the way businesses treat the planet.”

And you will know when you arrive, for you will feel it in your heart! How long this process will take you depends on how good a listener you are. Once you know what is your business’/career’s purpose, you are ready to build around it. And making business decisions becomes much clearer: Should I pursue this opportunity… partner with this person… expand into this line of products…?

And as any good bricklayer will tell you, with a solid foundation in place, laying the bricks becomes much easier in building your dream home.


Action Steps for the Week:

Build the cornerstone for your business/career. Ask “why” are you in business (or your career). Keep asking. Listen. Do not get frustrated if the answer does not come quickly.

Keep asking. It will start to flow. Write down your answers. Whether they seem silly or real, write your answers down. Keep asking. Until the “well dries up”.

Then check in on how it feels. If it feels right, sleep on it. Review it again in the morning. Still feels right… then it is probably a go. If not, keep asking “why” until you get it.

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Article Tags: alignment, architect, building houses, business career, business life, canada, cornerstone, ditches, entrepreneur, fame and fortune, habitat for humanity, india, inspiration, map, poverty, solid foundation, strong foundation, sustainability, volunteers, working with clients



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