(For business owners, or potential business owners.)
How does it feel to own your own business? You do realize, don’t you, that you are the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of your own business?
That is both the Good News, and the Bad News.
Yes, it is great that you have no boss telling you when you have to show up, what you have to do (whether you like it or not), where you have to sit, and that you have to miss your child’s play/project/speech/game – again!
It is wonderful that YOU get to decide how much money you make – not someone else who tells you that your position in only worth so much per year.
It is awesome that YOU get to choose where to vacation, and for how long; how large a house to build; what car(s) to drive, and; where to send your children to school.
Now the Bad News: all of the above “perks” of owning your own business are only possible IF you decide to learn what to do; to be teachable; to do the work, and; to serve others well by discovering what their Wants are in life, and then help them get them.
You see, being a business owner has its benefits, but it is hard work. Not everyone is willing to do it. (Thank you, Lord, that not everyone is.; otherwise, there would be less opportunity for you to succeed in business.) Being the CEO of your business means that YOU need to:
– set your own hours;
– plan where and when to spend your time;
– decide which Team Members need your help the most, and
which ones need to be allowed to work on themselves for
now;
– set aside time daily for Personal Development, and;
– invest in your business.
When I was the co-owner of Kimbro Oil Company in Nashville, others thought I had it made. After all, here I was at 27 as one of the owners of one of Nashville’s Top 100 Privately-Owned Businesses. I was looked up to by many as a successful young professional.
Here was the reality as I knew it: I was working an average of 80 hours per week. I never saw my wife or children. I was stressed out to such a degree that I felt strongly that I was going to have a stroke or heart attack. Our company had a lot of debt. As a result, we were one bad decision away from possibly going under.
Wow – pretty glamorous, huh?
I will end my post by giving you my perception of YOUR reality, given my decades of entrepreneurship: as a business owner, you have within your hands an opportunity to improve your life, your family members’ lives, and – through your influence – the lives of literally millions of others by building a successful business. No one is going to do the work for you. No one is going to read the books or attend the training seminars for you. No one is going to network, make the calls, do the presentations or do the follow ups for you. All of that is on you as the CEO of your own business.
The great part is that – once you are successful – no one can take the credit that YOU earned. No one reaps the financial rewards, but you (and those with whom you choose to share the rewards ). No one feels the pride, the sense of accomplishment for blessing countless other lives, but you.
Now is the time. Decide today to start truly OWNING your own business. Do it with a Strong Sense of Urgency.
You can do it. I believe in you! Go make it happen.
It is worth it!
