Entrepreneurship: Focusing on the RIGHT Results

Last week, our article discussed manifestation. We talked about focusing our on results to get results. What are the right results for an entrepreneur? Aren't they self apparent? Isn't to run a successful business, to make lots of money, and to create something unique? Of course. Then why is it that so few entrepreneurs are focused on these things? Maybe you are, but is it the foremost objective in your mind?

As the business gains traction, so often we are focused on the daily grind of business. The foremost thing in our mind tends to be those packages need to be shipped before lunch, or that client that wants more shirts before Tuesday, or that circuit that won't work before the prototype rolls, or.... You get the point. We are focused on small issues that are decidedly NOT as important the big picture (though we sometimes fool ourselves that they are). But more pointed, a great majority of our time is focused on obstacles. If 90% of our energy (time, money, action, and commitment) is focused on obstacles, what kind of results should we expect? That's right. Obstacles.

At worst, our obstacles grow in size and context. At best, we manifest solutions and we become a solution factory. Is that why we started the business? Perhaps. Solutions are certainly helpful, but they are not the end product. Remember success, money, and uniqueness? What happened to them?

We often leave those key things to be a two minute motivating speech at the end of staff meetings, or something to talk about at the annual planning retreat, or they are only inspirational words on your wall poster. I hear all your complaints and excuses about energy and resources, and that "its just not practical." You just get swept way in things. Hogwash. If that's what you think, quit acting like an entrepreneur and go get a job. You are short changing yourself and everyone that is counting on your achievements.

Want to really manifest entrepreneurship? First, you have to decide what success is and what idea of success you WILL go after. There are a dozen methods out there that will help you discover this- your brand, your purpose, your Hedgehog concept. The last one, presented in Good to Great by Jim Collins, is the foundation upon which every since has been based. The best selling book discusses it in terms of organizations and businesses, but it works equally well with individuals. It is particularly important for entrepreneurs, building businesses upon themselves. Find the method that works best for you.

The basic idea is this: Identify what you do best, what you are passionate about, and what economic model works best for you. At the intersection of those three things is where you should find yourself. You will have the best chance of success, have them the most fun, and will find the work most rewarding. Now doesn't that sound like a place you want to be?

Once you have figured this out and aligned your business objectives with that concept, you must make sure that those things, not the obstacles, are what stay foremost in your mind. We must remind ourselves on a constant basis why we got into the business, and what the big objectives are. Each of us will develop a unique way to do this. The method is not so important as long as it is done. You might develop a purpose statement that you frame and hang in your home or office, where you see it many times a day. You might spend 10 minutes every day reviewing those big objectives, and an hour every week reviewing your progress. You might enlist someone to hold you accountable to them.

These things may seem hokey, or too warm and fuzzy, but again the question comes into play: How committed are you to your success? How far are you willing to go? How much energy are you will to give? If you want to go all the way, it is critical to put activities in place that will not allow you to get caught up in the daily obstacles. To manifest growth, you must set aside time to focus on growth. You will be surprised how a little energy diverted in this direction will quickly create dividends of success.