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3 Easy Steps To Discovering Your Dream Business!
So you want your own business! (Or do you want to change the business you’ve got…) What’s stopping you?
© Lisa Murray 7/2008 from:  http://www.mindsetmiracles.com M: 0404 063 513

Is it too hard to find ‘the right one’? Fear of the recession? Too many things to do first? Concerned about having to manage employees? Worried about giving up a regular income? Not sure if you’ve ‘got what it takes’? Don’t know how to assess the business opportunities which are coming your way? Afraid that you’ll get ‘ripped off’? Don’t know how to fund your business acquisition? Not committed to your ‘big idea’? Lacking business ideas?

So what is stopping YOU really? Think about it for a moment and jot down your answers. Be honest with yourself – there are no ‘wrong answers’ and there is no problem that cannot be resolved if you are committed to the outcome! In fact, the more answers you come up with, the better!

I spent years wanting a business of my own, but not ever being quite brave enough to take the plunge. Last year, I finally dived from the high-dive board into the deep end! I quit the job-from-hell and started a couple of businesses. And I’ve never been happier or enjoyed my work more!! My only regret is that I didn’t jump headfirst a lot sooner…

Do you want to take the jump and come up smiling as well? The good news is, when you understand the simple process that persuaded me to jump off the edge of the diving board, you’ll easily be able to make the changes you want in your life too.

Step 1: Identify & Remove Your Barriers
Made your list of barriers? Consider your list. Is it really just a list of excuses that are stopping you from taking action? In my experience, all excuses come down to one of two things: your mindset needs a makeover or your knowledge base needs to increase. Let’s use some items from the above list of excuses as an example:
 

POSSIBLE EXCUSES	MINDSET BARRIER	KNOWLEDGE BARRIER
Fear of the recession / business doing badly	YES	NO
Too many things to do first	YES	MAYBE
Concerns about managing employees	YES	YES
Worried about giving up a regular income	YES	MAYBE
Not sure I’ve ‘got what it takes’ to run a successful business	YES	MAYBE
Don’t know how to assess business opportunities	MAYBE	YES
Too hard to find the ‘right business’ / lacking good business ideas	YES	MAYBE

Notice something?
Almost every excuse has a mindset component, whereas, only a few of the excuses are based around a knowledge or experience deficit. Therefore, if you are in control of your mindset, you can be in control of your business! Identify on your own list which of the excuses are mindset related and which are knowledge or experience related.

Let’s consider knowledge or experience barriers first. The advent of the internet has been hailed as ‘The Information Age’. Google has become a verb! If you truly believe that you have a knowledge or experience gap that is stopping you from owning the business of your dreams it’s important to understand that this is not an excuse not to start!! Try taking the following steps:

1. Identify in detail ‘the knowledge gap’. Also consider: Is it really a showstopper? Could I start without closing the gap? Are you being a perfectionist? Take some advice from Robert Schuller: “Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.”

2. Identify as many ways as possible to ‘close the gap’ – for example: taking a course or seminar, using a coach or mentor, researching the topic online or at your local library, requesting assistance from a relevant government agency, volunteering with an organization that has the knowledge or reading widely on the topic. Of course, you do not have to be the person to ‘close the gap’ – consider outsourcing, consultants, employees, or using your networks to fill in the knowledge/experience gap you have identified.

3. Mind the Gap! Create an action plan for closing your gap, based on the options you identified above. Put timelines to your plan. Identify a reward for yourself for closing the gap. Take Action! Become committed to closing your gaps or choosing to start your business despite the gaps – you’ll get to enjoy the satisfaction of working on your own business much sooner!

Did some of the above actions make you squirm a little? Were you feeling slightly uncomfortable about making a plan which took away your excuses and demanded action? If so, it is most likely because your mindset is not in alignment with your goals. You really want to own your own business, but….! It is the ‘buts’ that kick our butt – but often in the wrong direction!!

All of us grow up with programming in our minds that subconsciously defines what we can and can’t achieve, how we do things and why, and which areas of our life are successful and which ones we struggle in. The key to success is gaining control over the little voice in our heads which says ‘you can’t…’, ‘you don’t know how to….’, ‘you’re too stupid to….’, ‘everything has to be perfect before you can start…’, ‘it’s a struggle to own a business…’, ‘it won’t be worth the effort of running a business…’ etc.

You can change your mindset and your subconscious programming. The first step is to identify the beliefs which are holding you back. Try completing each of the following statements, listing at least 10 thoughts for each – you’ll easily start to see the patterns, habits and beliefs which are stopping you from achieving your dream:

1. Being successful in my own business is too difficult because…..
2. If I own my own business, other people will…..
3. As a business owner I will have to….

Becoming aware of your deeply held thought patterns and habits is the first step. Self mastery - taking control of your mind and emotions is the next step. There are many techniques which can help you to achieve this. Do some research and make a start! (Find useful resources at: www.mindsetmiracles.com ).

Step 2: Design Your Dream Business
If you know very clearly what your ideal business looks like, chances are that you’ll recognize it when you see it! You have just identified a whole range of blockages which are keeping you from achieving the goal of owning a business. You could remove the blockages or you could design the ideal business for your needs! This is a sure-fire way of minimizing the number of ‘gaps’ you need to fill, as well as creating a business which is in total alignment with who you are.

Think about your ideal life – how would your business fit into that life in a perfect world? Describe your business in detail. How will it work if you are living your perfect life?

Here’s twenty quick questions to consider in the design of your business. Some of these are practical questions, some of them consider your business mindset….

1. Buy or build your own?
2. Staff or no staff?
3. Do or delegate?
4. Indoor or outdoor?
5. Work hard or work smart?
6. Online or bricks & mortar?
7. Lots of people contact or not?
8. Creative or logical?
9. Capital intensive or at-home start-up?
10. Ideas: innovative or copycat?
11. Secure income or new venture?
12. High workload or systems oriented?
13. You: self-employed or chief resource coordinator?
14. Product/Service: fun, meaningful or serious?
15. Work time: flexible or structured?
16. Individuals or teams?
17. Existing customer base or build-up from scratch?
18. Your talents and passions or any business?
19. Automated business or tied to the business?
20. Growth potential or cash-flow now?

For extra insights, you can also clarify ‘why’ you chose the answer you did. Again, patterns will emerge and you will identify a clear direction for your business search. Once you have a clear picture of the business structure and design which will work for you and your ideal lifestyle, start to investigate business opportunities which meet your criteria.

Step 3: Take Action
You know what’s been stopping you. You know what you truly want in a business. Now you need to widen the search so that you can find your ideal business. Here’s a few tips to get you started:

• Be observant – take a notebook everywhere and jot down business ideas which interest you.
• Read widely – www.smartcompany.com.au  is a great place to start learning about different industries.
• Go to seminars which offer business opportunities (often as low-cost start-ups).
• Network with business people – identify their problems and solve them with a new business idea.
• Talk to business brokers.

Two important tips:
Firstly, buyer beware – always thoroughly investigate the business opportunity you see in front of you. Research, research, research!! Also consider fit: what is it about your expertise, skills, abilities or mindset that can give you a competitive advantage?

Secondly, keep your ideal business firmly in mind. Banish any negative thoughts and work towards making yourself the right person to attract the right opportunity at the right time! Achievement will come through commitment to your goal.

As James Lane Allen succinctly put it: “The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart. This you will build your life by, and this you will become.”

About The Author:
Lisa Murray is an entrepreneur and business coach. Her business and passion is helping people to overcome their limitations and create the life of their dreams through the use of fast, simple mindset techniques which really work at a deep and lasting level! For more great mindset tips, visit www.mindsetmiracles.com  and subscribe to the free weekly ezine. M: 0404 063 513