So now we know what you want to do..why you want to do it…and what goals you want to achieve. Today we will focus on how to tap into your unique strengths to make your new enterprise successful.
If you’ve ever been to a career counselor…or even your high school guidance counselor…this is probably where they started. Maybe you’ve taken the Meyer-Briggs or some other kind of personality test, and been given a list of careers that might be suitable for you.
Don’t worry, that is NOT what we are going to do here. Those tests can be helpful if used appropriately…but more often than not they are used to put people in boxes and hold them back from achieving their dream.
Here is a story from the authors of a book I highly recommend reading:The Answer: Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom, and Live an Extraordinary Life
As a child, John Assaraf was told that if he didn’t do well in school he would never amount to much. Murray Smith was placed in a school with kids for “special needs.” They both got the clear message that they were not good enough to make it in the real world, and for a time they believed it. John started hanging around with a rough crowd, and Murray found himself cleaning out sewers for a living.
Yet within a few years, they both became self-made millionaires and highly respected businessmen. How is that possible? John and Murry both had talents and skills that simply were not recognized by traditional tests.
That is exactly why we started this process on Day 1 with your passions. You see, I believe that when you love doing something, you are likely to be good at it. It may be natural talent, it may be motivation and perseverance…whatever the reason, your passions are the key to your most imporant strengths.
So please take a few minutes to jot down your responses to the following questions:
- For each of my top 5 passions, what skills does it require? What do I feel especially good about doing? What have I learned from engaging in this activity? For example, I love doing yoga. I particularly like the stretching part, which requires flexibility and concentration. But I’ve learned to develop strength and perseverance along the way.
- Now, for the same 5 passions, what kinds of values, qualities and character are required? For example, if one of your passions is spending time with children, you might need qualities of great communication, optimism, empathy, patience, or honesty.
- Finally, just to make sure we are not missing something important, what achievements have you been most proud of in your life? What have you been recognized for by others? Make a list of the skills and qualities that were required for each of those achievements. For example, maybe you went from being a couch potato to running a marathon. What skills and values were required to achieve that goal?
Bet you’re surprised by what a long list you ended up with! Now there is just one step left to this part of the process…matching up your skills with what is needed for your dream business. This is not the time to start worrying that you won’t have the right skills. None of us should try to go it alone when starting a business enterprise. The goal is to capitalize on our strengths, then team up with others who are complementary.
So, looking back at your dream business vision, what skills and qualities do you think will be needed to accomplish your goals? For example, say your business vision is to start an online dating service. You are great at setting up the technology, creating the website and marketing it to interested singles. But don’t forget what needs to happen behind-the-scenes: customer service, bookkeeping, pay taxes, etc.
The key to this step is figuring out what additional skills and talents you need to achieve your dreams, and then finding people who enjoy doing the things you would rather avoid! Don’t worry right now about how you are going to pay them, or what form any partnership might take. We will deal with that further down the road when we are talking strategy. For now, just focus on creating a business that rewards you for your gifts, and attracts the right people and resources to complete the picture.
Tomorrow we will talk about one more important part of the HOW: figuring out how your business vision can make money by serving the needs of others. Until then, if you need more inspiration, check out the recommended readings and resources below.
Recommended Readings and Resources
John Assaraf is an inspirational figure who went from a troubled youth to a self-made millionaire, all by recognizing his own strengths and values. In this audio recording, John tells the story of how he found himself living the life of his dreams in a California house he had envisioned 5 years earlier. Click here to get a FR*EE audio recording of John Assaraf, one of the stars of The Secret and co-author of The Answer.
