Many people think that entrepreneurs have delusions of grandeur, but the truth is that many of us are running on fear. The fear that we may fail, the fear that we may be a success or the fear that we may find out that entrepreneurship is not for us. As I was going over the usual suspects for an article topic this morning, it dawned on me that there are specific questions that we entrepreneurs
should be asking ourselves.
What are we building?
I know that there are as many reasons for being an entrepreneur as there are industries, and that fact makes this question all the more relevant. As an entrepreneur, what are you building? What is it that drives you to wake up every morning and try it all again? If you are not doing it because you’re passionate, should you be doing it?
Can you see your success?
I know that I am treading water here and inadvertently going into some self-help speak. I accept that because there is real value in the meat of this question. Can you envision the success of your company? When you see that image, can you describe it? What does success mean to you? If you can’t visualize it, the road becomes much more than a challenge.
What’s your price?
The truth is nothing comes without a price and for an entrepreneur the price is pretty steep. Success is costly. Sometimes the payment comes in the form of broken marriages, breaks in relationships with your kids, and health problems and at the end of the day you have to know what you best and final offer is. What are you willing to pay to be successful, once you know that you know whether this dream is real or just a fantasy.
Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy, but these questions create the opportunity to have a honest conversation with yourself about how much you’re willing to sacrifice and why that sacrifice has to happen. I’m right there with you, last night I got home after everyone was sleeping and saw my kids for just 30 minutes before duty called. I’ve asked my questions of greatness, have you?
