Recently, we’ve been surveying business owners. It got me thinking why people start businesses and do they achieve what they set out to do? 

Most business owners say they want:

• To be the master of their own destiny. To be in control.
• Freedom to not work all day, freedom to set their schedule.
• Freedom to work on what they want in life or business.
• Enough income to meet their lifestyle goals. 

While some attain it, the majority do not, or not consistently. Some make plenty of money, but are a slave to their business. If your business makes money but you’ve got no time and no way out, it’s a trap. 

Others work very hard to get it just right…and then the staff mess it up, or leave. And so on.

You didn’t start your business to hang yourself with an more jobs, one where you can’t switch off. This is why many owners can’t wait to sell their business. It’s the only solution to the never ending mountain of work ahead. 

You want more control, choice and freedom. 

What would be the ideal business which would deliver that for you? 

The Ideal Business

When you are setting out to achieve a goal or create an activity. It’s essential to define it clearly. You must have a conception of what it’s meant to become. Then you can coordinate all your actions and activities to that end. When you don’t have a clear end point, it’s easy to get lost in the detail, get distracted by “shiny objects” and otherwise lose your way. 

E.g. If you set out to make dinner, you have to know what the dish is, then you know what ingredients are needed, what cooking implements and so on. 

As you cook you compare what is happening to the conceived dinner in your mind. You can  measure your progress by tasting, smelling and observing at each stage. When the meal goes off track, you can make changes so it get's back on track.

Further, if you haven’t worked out the ideal dinner, you can't plan and organise the activity well. You may be a great cook but run into problems due to poor organising.

If you envision a hamburger and fries, you aren’t going to get them if all you have in the fridge is vegetables! (I don’t call a fried potato a vegetable).

It’s no different in business or any other aspect of life. 

If you haven't stated precisely what you are trying to do, you'll never do it.

If you haven't identified what you want, it's very hard to get.

So, before we set out to talk about all the details and challenges of running a business, let’s define what your Ideal Business looks like. 

And if you’ve already created it, well done! But I”m sure you could make it even better. 

1. Make it your ideal business not someone else's. A hamburger with fries might not be your ideal dinner! Maybe it’s lasagne or sushi or…

Exercise:

Close your eyes and create a picture in your mind of your business in an ideal state.

Here’s a few pointers to consider:

• What is the revenue? More importantly, what is the profit?
• How many hours do you work in it? What do you do with your spare time? 
• What does the staff situation look like? What employees do you have? What contractors? How many? 
• How does the business run? Is it calm, lively, pumping? 
• Do you have executives? A general manager?
• Is there written policy and systems? 
• What are you selling and delivering? How much? 
• How do your customers perceive the business? Do they refer? 

That should get you going. Really work out what ideal is for you.

With your Ideal Business in mind, you should now see what is important to work on, to move it closer to ideal.