Starting a small business startup can be an overwhelming endeavor with so many things to think about and plan for. It’s easy to get distracted by the pressures and lose focus on why you wanted to start a business in the first place.
Introduction
Getting your mindset right is crucial in the early days of your small business startup to push past the uncertainty and stay motivated. This post will provide you with 3 research-backed steps to get your entrepreneurial mind focused so you can take action on your small business startup idea.
Step 1: Identify Your Primary Motivation
Many new entrepreneurs lack clarity on why exactly they want to go through the trouble of starting a small business startup. Is it for more money, freedom, fun? Getting very clear on your core motivation for launching a startup is crucial. Research shows that entrepreneurs motivated by passion and meaning are much more likely to persist through the inevitable challenges of getting a small business off the ground.
Take time to do some deep thinking about why a small business startup excites you. Is it the chance to create something new? Do you want to build a legacy? Are you passionate about a specific product or service? Let this primary motivation guide your small business mission and planning going forward. Really tuning into your motivation provides that essential focus when things get tough. Tie this back to the introduction and the need for focus - your motivation for a small business startup provides that direction to stay focused on the path ahead.
Step 2: Visualize the End Goal
It’s hard to stay focused day-to-day when you don’t have a clear vision of what ultimate success looks like for your small business startup. Take some time to vividly imagine your business up and running successfully. See yourself working hard to serve customers, making sales, expanding products and services.
What does your ideal office look like? Who are your customers? How many employees do you have? Visualization activates the creative parts of your brain and gives you a tangible endpoint to focus your efforts on each day. The more detailed you can get in painting a picture of the future your small business startup will create when it’s real, the better. Let this vivid vision of success give direction and focus to your daily tasks. When you lose motivation, return to your visualization to reconnect with your vision and get focused for the path ahead.
Step 3: Craft Your Mission Statement
A well-defined mission statement synthesizes your primary motivation and future vision into concise words and phrases to return to when you lose sight of why you started a small business. Take time to write a clear, concise mission statement that really resonates with you and your goals for your startup. Let it serve as a guiding light when you have to make difficult decisions. Share your mission statement with coaches, mentors, family members.
Getting input and sharing it widely will deepen your commitment and focus. Having a memorable mission statement is invaluable during the challenging early days of getting your small business off the ground. Sometimes you’ll need to return to it multiple times in a day to regain focus on why you embarked on this startup journey in the first place. Refer back to the introduction and the need to maintain focus through the startup process - your well-crafted mission statement is the tool to capture that focus.
Small Business Startup (example) - Flower Shop
Let’s see how a aspiring florist can use these three steps to stay focused on launching her small business startup.
First, Eva spent time realizing that her motivation for starting a flower shop was her lifelong passion for floral arrangements and desire to spread joy through flowers. This passion would help her persist through tough times.
Second, Eva visualized in detail her future successful flower shop. She pictured her cozy shop filled with inventory, greeting customers, designing arrangements, making deliveries, and bringing a smile to people’s faces with her floral creations. This vision motivated her daily.
Third, Eva crafted the mission statement: “Sunny Side Florist arranges and delivers fresh floral designs to brighten our community.” This mission tied back to her motivation and vision.
When Eva encountered obstacles like funding challenges or supply delays, she returned to her motivation, vision, and mission statement to regain focus on why she started. She did not lose sight of her dream to share her floral passion. By getting her mindset right, Eva was able to take focused action for her startup. A year later, Sunny Side Florist became the talk of the town.
Conclusion
Starting and growing a small business brings many distractions that can cause you to lose focus on your original motivations and vision. By taking time to identify your core motivation, visualize the detailed end goal, and craft a compelling mission statement, you gain the focus needed to be successful as an entrepreneur. Use these three steps to stay razor focused on the path ahead, even when challenges arise. Returning to your motivation, vision, and mission statement will keep you on track to turn your entrepreneurial dream into a thriving business reality.