As I prepare my talk for a webinar tonight aimed at inspiring start-up founders in the positive psychology space, I reflect on my experience supporting other entrepreneurs over the last twenty years, as well as my own start-up journey. I am reminded that founders, a.k.a. entrepreneurs, a.k.a. business owners, all come in different shapes and sizes, with very different motivations and goals. I am struck by the need to say EVERY BUSINESS MATTERS, regardless of size, scale or growth ambition. What matters most is purpose!
Sometimes the metrics of success deemed by the regional powers, institutions and investors that adjudicate on grants and funding, become the yardstick to deem what is and isn’t a successful business and that is simply not the case. We are often encouraged to push for growth, scale, pursuit of fame and fortune, when actually that might be detrimental to self, family and community. In a world where so many people are lost, struggling, anxious, depressed, what matters most is purpose – your why! If you can be clear on your why, be clear on the values which will drive your business, set out to make a difference to yourself, your family and others, then that in my humble opinion is success. When you have a reason to get out of bed every morning and your heart sings because you are doing something you are passionate about and making a difference, then that is success. When you decide to leave the corporate world or decide to never enter it because you want autonomy and flexibility to create the life you want and chose to dance to your own song, then that is success.
When I set out to run my own business over 25 years ago, my why was autonomy over my life so I could determine how I invested my time with my young family. My choice was never scale, as that would have compromised the life I set out to create, so I chose instead to help others scale. Now my family is all grown up, I find myself once again exploring my why and know that it involves personal, over business growth, a focus on legacy and making a difference, a desire to pass on and inspire others to flourish and thrive, hence my new business Flourissimo!
When we think of successful entrepreneurs, we often skip straight to the famous success stories or get sucked into the drama of the big pitches as popularised by series like Dragons Den. Entrepreneurial events tend to be dominated by the big hero’s, who’ve defied the odds to create mega businesses and employment, although we never quite know the real story behind the headlines and self-promotion; the true cost to themselves, their teams and their loved ones of creating their empire.
The real unsung heroes for me are the small business owners, potentially the one man bands, solo entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, who set out in their communities to make a BIG difference, who have clarity of vision and purpose and defy the odds, without elaborate funding streams, positively impacting on and changing lives – theirs and others.
Whilst I remember from my time as business adviser to start-ups many of the interesting, bold, brash characters, who rocked up with big ambition to create huge businesses and make themselves and their investors wealthy, I remember more clearly the beautiful, often humble individuals, who showed up with passion and authenticity and a deep desire to change something –a real sense of purpose. They would often start our meeting with “I think I might have a bit of an idea” and then would go on to wow me with their vision to do something incredible and change some part of the world that mattered to them. Fast forward 10 years and some of the more ambitious ones have succeeded and some have not, but most of those with clear passion and vision for doing something special are still out there making a difference in their small, sometimes big, but always profound
way. I am reminded by the words of Viktor Frankl, in one of the most incredible books of all time Man’s Search for Meaning:
“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’”
More recently Simon Sinek, in his acclaimed leadership book “Start with Why” suggests the most inspiring and influential leaders are those who “Start with Why” and then work on what and how.
So, as I get back to prepping my words carefully to inspire the next generation of people who want to make a profound difference in our troubled world, I feel a deep need to simply say – you matter, your business matters. Get clear on your calling, “your why” and embark on YOUR HERO’s Journey. Your “why” will signpost you to the places and people who most need your help and of equal importance will prevent you going down the wrong path, which might appear shiny but may lead you to compromising your integrity and values. The world needs great people with passion and purpose who put community and family at the heart of their mission, above profit. You will be the ones to change your corner of the world and that’s what matters most.
Go for it!
© Jackie Wade 2022