There are literally an infinite number of entrepreneurial business possibilities available to you.  For each business concept there are dozens of business models and a virtually limitless number of strategies and tactics to choose from.  In the truest sense of the expression, the variety of possibilities for creating the perfect business for yourself is positively mind blowing. 

What makes a particular business perfect for you at any given time in life is actually not what you might think though.

Business-school principles and conventional wisdom would suggest you find the perfect business for yourself by, amongst other things, evaluating market and economic trends, creating uniquely differentiated competitive products, writing a good business plan, and finding and securiing favorable financing. 

Indeed these are important considerations and, depending on your individual circumstances, to a greater or lesser degree have bearing on how you decide to build the perfect business once you know what it is. 

To the extent that these activities make a useful contribution to fulfilling your vision for the perfect business then you should do them. They are not, however, the most important beginning place, nor are they necessarily determinant of your ultimate success.

I have built several wildly successful businesses without consideration of some of these.  I have met hundreds of others who have as well.  You can too

To be clear, I am not advocating that you not attend to the adminstrative and planning basics for your new business, however, from the perspective of finding the perfect business for yourself, there are more important and immediate considerations.

What makes a particular business perfect for you and what guarantees your astonishing success is how well it aligns with you, your purpose, your passions, and your true inner-most commitments and desires.

The Perfect Business for you is one in which you are free to apply your true passions to the pursuit and successful accomplishment of your greatest life purpose.

Whether you consider yourself a business person today or not, the knowledge, skills, interests, talents, and past experiences you command have prepared you to build many kinds of businesses.  

For instance, in my life I have worked as a cabinet maker, a carpenter, a statistician, a satellite communications engineer, a salesman, a sales manager, a “C-level” executive leader, strategic planning advisor, a writer, a champion athlete, a professional trainer, coach and mentor, to list a few.

While any of these can be (and have been) turned into a successful business, what made one or another the perfect avenue to success for me at a given time in my life was how well it matched the personal lifestyle desires, passions, and purposeful commitments I had at the time. 

For instance, when I was 13, the perfect business for me at the time was lawn-care.  I grew that business an average of 100% per year and employed a crew of over 20 laborers.  I ultimately sold the business for a handsome 6 figure sum when my father accepted a new position requiring us to relocate.  Throughout my years in high-school and college I was constantly innovating new ways to earn money by providing products and services that people needed or wanted. I share many of these stories in my forthcoming book

Later, the perfect business for me was a cabinet & fixture shop.  I quit college at the age of 19 and started a cabinet making business and was ultimately awarded a number of large scale exclusive contracts for high-end furnishings and fixtures throughout the eastern seaboard.  That business expanded into a general contracting business which grew an average of 200% per year and, when I was ready to return to school, financed an undergraduate degree and the majority of a masters degree at one of the top ten private universities in the country.

Still later, it was a series of 6 computer technology ventures netting investors an average of 500% ROI, followed by several consulting practices, a personal training, fitness and nutritional practice and a successful network marketing (MLM) business.  Each of these was the perfect business for me at the time.  Each has provided me an experience of astonishing success and accomplishment. 

I started out as a regular kid just like you.  Over time, each of these experiences has challenged me and equipped me with new knowledge, skills, and experience.

All together, they have contributed to preparing me for this, the most meaningful and significant entrepreneurial business endeavor in my lifetime.

Now, creating information products and providing coaching programs that apply all I have learned from each experience combined with all of the training, coaching, and mentoring I have received throughout to help you create the perfect business for yourself is the perfect business for me. 

It is clear to me that the journey I have taken in life has lead me right here, right now, for the expressed purpose of delivering what I have learned to you. 

It is clear to me that my success in accomplishing this committed purpose will be measured solely and exclusively in relation your success.

Whatever your indiividual interests and experiences, where-ever you are starting from, the question is; which will create the perfect business for you, right now?

Because we are each completely unique individuals, while your desires may indeed be similar to those of another, somewhere within you there is something that uniquely differentiates you and your motivation for the pursuit of a given business idea.  It is this uniqueness within the infinite sea of possibility that makes the business that is perfect for you possible, and, when you find it, guarantees your astonishing success

As you begin the process of finding the perfect business for yourself, realize that you are opening a universe of new possibilities.  You may have a vision for success which includes a suite on the top floor of a high-rise office building downtown.  Or, perhaps your vision is a home-based business with no employees and which allows you a casual work environment and ample time for family, hobbies, or travel. 

Before you can begin the process of finding and planning the perfect  business, you want to be crystal clear about what you really want out of this new life you are about to create.  

You will clearly be more fulfilled and experience a greater sense of satisfaction and accomplishment if you create a business that draws upon what you really enjoy doing.  You are also going to invest a fair amount of time and energy into making your business a success.  If you are truly passionate about it and enjoy it, it will not seem like work and you will not regret investing the time in it.

 This is the most important thing for you to know at this juncture:

 Regardless of the business you choose, in order for you to ultimately experience it as a success, it must be in service of your individual life purpose, align with your vision of success, and support the life you truly want to live.

Before you can really generate a meaningful list of options to choose from, you must get clear about what you want and why.

A good starting place is to be crystal clear about what success is and how you want it to show up in the life you love to live.

I will continue with this series next Thursday with a terrifc new exercise which will help you get clear on what success means to you. 

I welcome your questions, comments, and feedback.  It is my sincere desire that the products I create provide real tangible value to you and help you experience the success you desire.

Your Success Champion,

Steve

Are you paying attention to the outside forces that can have a big impact on your business? 

Or is your head in the sand?

As an entrepreneur, it’s your responsibility to be aware of the external forces that can make or break your business.

In the March 2008 edition of Entrepreneur Magazine, Andrea Cooper wrote an excellent article entitled, “The Influencers: What forces will affect your business in the coming year?”

She outlines the top 25 Influencers; the individuals, groups and trends that will have a substantial impact on business this year. 

Here are 6 that I thought were particularly interesting:

Mortgage Crisis

Continuing fallout from the mortgage crisis will undoubtedly affect you and your business in 2008. As banks wrestle with the problem of bad home loans, it may reduce their capacity or willingness to hand out money to entrepreneurs.

A Generational Shift

The first baby boomers are becoming eligible for retirement, and the nation is on the verge of a generational shift as those under age 44 assume more power. Boomers are itching to leave corporations and start their own businesses. Services that help them, such as small-business counseling, mentoring or virtual back-office support, should fare well. Older boomers are looking for meaningful part-time work that helps them leave a legacy; savvy entrepreneurs who create flexible opportunities can reap rewards from their talents.

Shrinking Middle Class

Working longer, commuting farther, sinking financially–that’s how The Trends Journal described the average member of the U.S. middle class last year.  What can entrepreneurs do? Believe that the high cost of oil will have real consequences on buying power, and make it easy for clients to work with you, whether it’s with convenient locations or via the internet and other technologies.

College Entrepreneurship Programs

Used to be, people didn’t think about going to college to learn how to be an innovative business owner. That was before the rise of college entrepreneurship programs. The latest trend on campus is teaching entrepreneurism outside of business school, even to English majors.

Socially Responsible Companies

Consumers care more than ever about corporate social responsibility. The “Edelman Trust Barometer 2007″ found that top concerns include employee treatment and open communication about a company’s conduct and impact, whether good or bad. “People are looking for responsible products, and they’re willing to pay a premium,” says Chris Deri of PR firm Edelman. “Take advantage of your smaller size and be nimble enough to be responsive to those demands.”

The 2008 Elections

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization surveyed its U.S. members about the presidential elections. Nearly 50 percent of them ranked the contest important or very important. The survey found that affordable health care is at the top of their wish lists, but it’s just one key item among many in this presidential race. “Everybody’s concerned about the economy,” says Alan Carsrud, executive director of the Global Entrepreneurship Center at Florida International University. But the presidential election isn’t the only one to watch. What happens in Congress and the state legislatures can have just as much of an impact on your business.

Let me encourage you to read the entire article

You can read it here: 

                                    The Influencers

Keep Learning!

Steve

http://www.championsuccess.com/

PS - As always, I welcome your comments