Ask a business owner what they want, why they are in business. You will certainly hear the following amongst the answers:
- Rewards (financial or otherwise)
- Freedom
- Control
What you will find though, and I include myself in this, is business owners actually working COUNTER to those aspirations.
Rewards, freedom and control come from being at the top of the pile when it comes to business decision making and influence. We look for security by moving towards the bottom of the pyramid – taking a 9-5 job, freelancing, and generally working for others, but times have changed and those roles are anything but secure.
It has been my birthday this week. I have been spending time with Darren in Australia. These things combined have given me an opportunity to reflect on where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. The conclusion I have come to is that I have been steadily working up the ladder but I have a ways to go.
I am not saying that you can only be one thing. You might choose to invest and be creating at the ground level at the same time. Today I am shooting some video – this is doing, but I am also building an asset with terrific leverage potential, which is investing time and money.
My point is this. Ask yourself where you are in this spectrum, and ask yourself where you want to be. How well are you able to leverage your time and other resources to get multiples of return rather than close to 1:1. Are you creating and growing assets or are you swapping your commodity resources for money?
Something worth pondering on if you want to achieve control, freedom and rewards for yourself …
What do you think? Have I missed something important? How are you implementing these kinds of thoughts in your own business? Please share in the comments …