The Question Every Entrepreneur Needs To Ask

There are a number of clients I’ve coached recently who to my surprise come to discuss an aspect of their business they believe is crying out for change.  The problem is that it’s not something wrong with the business per se.

Just that their heart isn’t in the business.

To be more specific, at times an Entrepreneur might create a business, product or service because they've researched and found it could be a profitable venture. However, when I ask them to define what they would really like to be doing, it’s often a million miles away from what they're presently engaged in.

The business was created with no purpose or intention.

In it's place there is a business plan which has a good structure and goals which look impressive, but one they feel unattached to. I'm not minimising the importance of a robust structure or good business planning, but without your inner drive and passion  your venture will struggle to succeed.

When coaching clients, I often invite them to speak about their business, at times however I feel disconnected or uninvested. When I ask them to elaborate and expand their vision of what they would love to create,  the energy changes and they describe a completely different type of set up, but one they never dared to invest time nourishing.

If you recognise yourself in this, ask yourself what stops you?

In my experience, it is often a fear of failure, since the authentic vision holds more investment than spending time doing something you might not be emotionally connected to. The one thing that connects it all together like a well crafted jigsaw is a sense of purpose for what is being created.

The mission is to find it.

If this sounds familiar to you, then there is a question you need to ask yourself before you take the next step, create your website or order another batch of business cards.  As we stand, we don’t need another website to add to the collection or more activity online, what we need is to connect deeply with others and this is through purpose.

When I ask ‘Whats your purpose?' What I'm really asking is ‘How can you make a difference?’.

Here’s how to start getting clarity, start by answering the following questions:

• What activities make you lose track of time?

• What makes you feel passionate or excited?

• What natural ability have you got?
• Are you a good listener, great at building things, problem solver etc?

• What makes you feel great?

• Who inspires you most? Name them and why.

• What do people generally ask you for help with?

• What would you regret not doing or being in your life?

• What values or causes do you believe strongly in?

• What hardships or difficulties did you need to overcome? How did you do it?

Given the answers to the above, how could you use this to serve and contribute in the world? If you want to lead a meaningful life and create an extraordinary business, you will be exploring the questions above. 

Essentially, what do you stand for and why should anyone care?

Ikigai is the answer.

Ikigai is a Japanese concept which translates as ‘Your reason for being’.  According to the Japanese, everyone has an Ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and extensive search of oneself. In other words the meaning to Ikigai is ‘What is your reason for waking up in the morning?’. Finding the answer to this can be life transforming.

So what does a clear purpose create?

• Drive to make the impossible, possible.

• Grounds you in difficult times and rising competition.

• Authenticity which increases impact through making a difference to others.

In my experience, without purpose your business is an empty shell. It is the power volt that is missing from the electrical socket. You can have all other factors present but the main factor is absent. It is the one driver that will move you on through the highs and lows of your business.

I was coaching a client via Skype a few days ago, my client is from America but was on the way to South East Asia to set up an online business. As our coaching session progressed, something else spoke to me beyond his words.

Here was a guy who I had known for almost a year, someone who other than his laptop and backpack is completely unattached to his possessions and can set up a home or business wherever he goes. His confidence or sense of self doesn’t come from the property he lives in, the job he clocks into every day, or the car he drives (in fact he doesn’t own one).

As I listened to him speak about the online business he was starting, what I began to wake up to was the value he could offer to other entrepreneurs who would also like to be location independent, but are unable to do this successfully.

In fact what took my breath away, was that this guy was the business, he didn’t need to learn the skills from someone who would provide him the tools or logistics to set it up. He was born with something unique and incredibly valuable, the ability to rebuild wherever he finds himself.

I could already visualise him teaching others through a blog or online programme.

His natural capability had the potential to change and impact lives, and I have no doubt that if he created a business teaching other entrepreneurs how to travel light in both a physical and psychological way, he would smash it.

Instead of investing in looking outside to find the ideal business, he had found it right there in our session without a business plan, goal setting or investment plan.  As I shared this with him, I noticed an excitement brewing inside him, as if the penny had dropped.

He had found his Ikigai.

I notice this often when coaching clients, my purpose is to tease out what’s really underneath so they can create a business, project or life that is emerging from within, as the benefits and values of this are immeasurable.

As an Entrepreneur, it's important to ask the relevant questions, to delve deeply and explore your purpose. The key throughout the process is to follow your heart and engage with life wholeheartedly from an authentic place so that the right opportunities will follow. This, together with a robust business plan is an unbeatable combination.