How To Gain Clarity on Your Business
The idea of owning your own business can be very appealing, especially the freedom, autonomy, creativity, flexibility, and potential financial reward that come with being your own boss. But do you have a strong vision for your potential business offering? What is the product or service you can offer, exactly what problem can it solve and for whom? The answers to these questions are key factors that can help you get clarity on your business, and enjoy the associated perks.
Sometimes, there are so many great ideas, it’s hard to know where to begin. The following prompts are designed to help you narrow down your options and get really clear about how you’d like to move forward in your business.
What’s your mission?
Most people want to make a contribution to the greater good. The questions below are designed to help you get specific about what you do. Before you dive in there, think about why you do what you do. Your mission is part philosophy behind why you do what you do and part essence - what you do.
Identify Your Patterns
The best way to get started is to ask yourself some questions that help identify patterns in your working style. Pay attention to interests and themes that repeat in the people with whom you like to work, the places and environments in which you’ve thrived, the things you gravitate toward and companies you’re drawn to, the way you prefer to consume or share information, the roles you can see yourself in, and even the type of technology you like to use.
Roles
What do you see yourself doing: coaching, listening, convincing, fixing, healing, encouraging, helping, inspiring, etc.?
Do you prefer to work one-on-one? In small groups? Large groups?
People
Who do you like to work with?
What age group?
What background?
What are their goals?
How do they spend their time? What adjectives do they use to describe themselves?
What is the problem you help solve for this group?
What is the environment you like to interact with them in?
Places
Where do you thrive? In a dynamic environment, or in a quieter, more focused space? Something more in the middle?
What else do you notice when you remember moments where you have shined?
Things
Do you like to generate, communicate, organize, repair, repurpose, or collect?
How will this be part of your services or products?
Inspiration
What organizations, businesses or individuals are doing work that you’re drawn to?
What is it concretely that is appealing about what they are doing?
Information
What apps do you use?
What do you like to learn about?
What information do you like to share with others?
What podcasts, blogs, etc. stand out to you? What is appealing about them?
How might this apply to your next chapter?
Motivation
What’s keeping you where you are?
What helps you to move forward?
Understanding the answers to the preceding questions can help give you a clear picture of what type of business owner you might be, and what type of working environment will best suit you. If you need additional assistance getting clarity on your business, contact us to find out how one of our certified career coaches can help.