Anila Nicklos, M.Ed., CDP/
Henry Ford has said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!” Have you ever thought about building a business you love? Do you think you can? Do you think you can’t? In my case, I entertained the idea of having my own business as early as the latter part of the year 2008. Although I manifested an innate desire to build the business I loved, amassed the skills to perform at a high professional level, and possessed a clear vision, I lacked the confidence to execute my idea. As a matter of fact, I placed the execution in the hands of someone I thought held the tools and enjoyed the talents to support that element. However, the execution waiting game tired me out and as such I did not revisit my business idea for another 9 years.
Did my own perfectionism get in the way? Did I allow myself to let go of my desire to build the business I love because I failed to engage in courage and depended upon someone else’s execution experience? Knowing what I have learned by now, I ask myself how could I’ve been so inactive to not broaden my search and engage with others to help me execute my ideas? “There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them”, says Seth Godin.
In the meantime, during those 9 long years, I enjoyed and felt inspired by others who encompassed the fortitude to execute on their idea and figured it out as it unfolded. One of my acquaintances built her own business in which she designed the office space, each of the rooms as well as picked the furniture. She turned that space into a retreat place for working teams and their leaders. Through team exercises held at different themed rooms, during a team’s retreat, she evaluated and made recommendations to teams whether on how to improve communication and leadership skills, or provide strategies for working together. This retreat place and process required different skills, which she had attained at different phases of her professional life that she was able to interlace when creating the business she loved. As Walt Disney said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” And that is what she had done. She had a vision. She scrabbled it on a piece of paper. Later on, she found the space and applied for a grant which she received. Once that materialized, she finalized designing the space and teams began coming, and her initial execution made her dream a reality.
When you build the business you love, you create your own process. For some, being the leader of their own business means they can apply the freedom in different ways. They build their morning routines to meet their needs and preferences. For some others, not having to call off and planning around their kids’ school pick-up makes the idea of their own business more likeable and attractive. In either case, to make a business function, one must work. A successful business needs a committed leader. But the joy you experience from the success of the business you love parallels to nothing. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful” says Albert Schweitzer.
It’s worth taking the time to discover what you are passionate about so that you can build a business you love around it. You could bring your own personality and voice to it. You could be as creative as you would like to be. But, you could also enhance your skills in a certain area of expertise once you identify what you love doing. Benjamin Franklin once said, “The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.”
What changed for me? How did I build a business that I love? I activated my courage and went for it but this time I engaged with people with the same values, aspirations, and passions as me. People who inspire and push me to be the best I can be. People who teach me how to successfully execute. Once I discovered my blind spot, I actively cultivated the skills to overcome it and turn it into a strength. Because of this, I’ve experienced joy from my work and I am grateful to the team of people supporting me and the business I love.
I invite you to spend time with yourself (there are cases that speak of people who spent two to three months identifying what they love doing) and identify what you love doing. Surround yourself with experts as well as like minded entrepreneurs. As Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Do not give up. Instead, create a plan to build the business you love and execute it impeccably. Whether it is a product you sell online, or a program you built, there exist tools and information to successfully guide you with your business journey.
Social Media Quotes:
“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!” – Henry Ford
“There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.” – Seth Godin
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer
“The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison