Everyone wants to be successful, few know where to start. How do you know if you are ready to start that journey, to create, plan and execute, allowing effort, ambition and hard work to propel you towards your destination?
There is nothing that we are more passionate about than empowering people to start their businesses and reach their dream life. And as entrepreneurs, we have also been in that place where you feel a fire inside you when you keep thinking of that new venture you want to achieve but at the same time, everything feels a bit uncertain and you are not 100% sure if you are ready to do the commitment.
So, in order to help you make that important decision, we created this list of 6 thought-provoking questions to ask yourself before starting.
Why questions and not answers?
The truth is that one of the more difficult things in the world is to know yourself and one of the easiest is to give advice. Helping you to think through an objective or a problem will be much more effective than giving you answers because only you know how ready you are for creating your own business.
Questions are secret weapons that allow you to surface deeper motivations, gain clarity, and challenge assumptions.
The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask yourself.
1 Are you prepared to create the space required?
Starting a new business in Australia, or in any part of the world, requires time, space and energy. At the beginning of this process, you will spend 10 to 15 or 20 hours every week doing research, doing and re-doing budgets, planning and more.
It is a very exciting moment of your business journey and you have to be sure that you are committed to creating that space. There is no such thing as “not having enough time” when it comes to your dream and goals.
Creating space means, for example, replacing your TV time with research time, sacrificing drinks with your friends for staying at home seeking inspiration and planning your kids’ meals on Sundays to have more time during the week, among other time-consuming details that can make a big difference.
2 Have you done your research?
Many times doing research can be a bit overwhelming, as we inevitably start comparing ourselves with others’ projects and ways of doing things. Having this in mind, there are a few things you can do to transform research into something enriching instead of stressful.
-
Remember that comparison is the thief of joy. When you are doing research and you start comparing your worst to someone else’s best, realize that no one starts perfect and the talent you perceive in the people you admire on social media or online is just the tip of the iceberg.
- Market research is not only online. Mystery shopping, interviews, focus groups and just being curious about the outside world are great allies when it comes to understanding a market and target.
- Replace comparison with inspiration. When we are looking at what your competitors are doing and how they are doing it try to find the “missing gap”. This means, what are they not doing that you can do better? Who are they leaving on the side and what can you offer them?
3 Do you have the certifications you need to start?
The answer is you don’t need them. Our education system is not keeping up with the speed we can learn new skills. There are unlimited online resources, free or paid, to upskill.
The only thing you need is a willingness and a drive to bring something that is special and unique to the world.
4 What does your funnel look like?
Did you already think about how you are going to capture your customers? In order to put people and customers at the top of your funnel, you need to be clear on how they are gonna get to the end of it.
You can reach 100 people that would love what you offer but if you don’t have a system to capture them, retain them and give them what they need without burning, getting out of stock or leaving hundreds of unread messages, your business will look like running water through a strainer.
5 Who do you want to help?
If you want to build an amazing business or brand, look out for your customers. Who are they? How can you improve their lives? Start by asking questions.
Who are your customers? Can you pick them out from a crowd? What do they dream of becoming? What are their hopes and fears? What are their pains and gains? What do they need? What problem are they trying to solve in their personal and professional life? What’s getting in their way?
6 What are the strengths of the people that surround you?
We all have a support team around us, even if we know it or not, and they don’t necessarily have to work with us. Every time we call someone, we do it because we know they are the person that is going to give us the answer we need.
Maybe you call your mother if you need someone to tell you a hard-to-hear truth, or if you need someone to listen to you and tell you how amazing you are, you might call your best friend.
Identify the strengths of people around you and how they can actually help you during this new chapter of your life.
We hope that these questions help you find focus on the important areas, help you see the whole picture and understand what changes in your life and mindset you need to work on.
About Love Loop
Love Loop creates, integrates and manages systems that bring growth to businesses.
Creating and integrating systems enables you to showcase the heart and soul of your business, along with its scalability and growth. Just like a car and its gears, a successful business is built by single components all working together as one system.
Schedule a free connection call to find out more. Can’t wait to hear from you!