Why you should stand up for Something if You want to succeed in Business
Great Service is not enough, you must walk the unbeaten path
People get into business for all kinds of reasons.
The most glaring being to satisfy the never-ending need for money.
The desire for money, — financial freedom, -wealth creation, — is definitely a valid reason.
Millions of startups jump into entrepreneurship, they sail leaky boats in tempestuous waters, praying to dock on the eternal shores of financial freedom, but that never happens, because just earning extra bucks is not reason enough of sustaining any business venture.
When the need for money outweighs passion, starting a business, any business, becomes a tough chore, leaving most people stuck, and they can’t figure out why.
Why Businesses get stuck
Some years back, I was stuck in my business, I really didn’t know why, I was a professional accountant, I had an accounting degree, and I thought, that’s all I needed to set up a successful accounting business. I was wrong.
Even though I was doing everything right, my business was stuck, it wasn’t growing. I knew I was stuck, the business had stagnated, there was no growth.
I had made the choice to get into accounting, I chose to start the business. I was a master of my will over all the things that I was doing, but I didn’t know how to succeed as an Entrepreneur.
I reached that stage where I had to do something. I needed change, I wanted to see something shift, I was desperate, I wanted to see more money coming in. Then one day I cracked the code!
I was talking to a friend Andre Campbell, we started talking about religion that’s when he said something, he said, “think of religion, it’s a discipline people exercise their beliefs daily because they believe, religion gives them an identity, they stand up for something!”
That statement was like a new realization, it opened my understanding to not just religion, but to spirituality — how our lives are intertwined with what we do daily.
Why you should religiously be committed to your business
A lot of times we look at religion and spirituality differently We call people who engage in daily activities religious,
Think about it, we are said to be religious if we go to the gym daily, we are religious about how we eat, religious, about how we think, religious about how we dress, every person is actually religious in some aspect.
Religion is a discipline, standing up for something, that’s the revelation I got.
You’ve got to be disciplined to achieve any element of success, whether it’s in your health or in your business.
That daily discipline, executed religiously, is what builds a successful business. But you must first stand up for something, have you activated your zeal?
Experiencing The Magic of Entrepreneurship
Most people start businesses without searching for their zeal and passion.
They look at their occupation or their professional degree and decide to start a business. They think because they have the right accreditation they will succeed in business.
They are wrong, that’s not how to start a business.
I made the same mistake, I thought being a qualified accountant could make me a successful entrepreneur, but I was wrong.
You shouldn’t start any business just because you have experience or are professionally qualified, you need a higher reason.
You might know how to do accounting work. You may know how to be an excellent writer, how to be a nurse, a doctor, or a teacher, you may know how to do stuff, an electrician, or a construction person.
You may know how to create magic with your hands or mind, but you may not know how to run a business. That’s because entrepreneurship is a whole different ball game altogether.
You may not know how to make that business valuable to people. You may not know how to provide good service, how to market, how to sell, or how to become a brand.
Why great service is not enough
Most people get into business thinking that all they have to do is give great service.
But I realized great service by itself won’t guarantee anything. I know of highly qualified accountants, giving great service, probably some of the smartest people on earth, doing amazing work and giving great service, but they are poor entrepreneurs, and their business has stagnated.
I was one of them until when one day I experienced an amazing mindset shift. I realized I had to go beyond giving great service and stand up for something.
You see when you realize that business is religious, you will dig deep to find that inner reason, why you want to do that business, what beliefs you have. You will want to focus on that one thing you are good at, that thing that helps people.
Because successful entrepreneurship is helping people, and not just making money. You must stand up for something, put humanity first, to do that.
I realized I knew a lot about money, I knew money in depths that few people do, I could read interpret and analyze cash flow statements and speak figures without batting an eye, yet I was struggling to run a business.
That mind shift helped me to do something, instead of just being an accountant offering my accounting services, I could teach people about money! That was my eureka moment!
I could set up systems, build coaching programs, have a podcast, and teach people things about money they could never learn from anywhere else.
Do you know your unique value to walk the unbeaten path?
The first step to knowing your value is critical, it helps you to account to yourself, it’s the beginning of standing up for something, but there is a second step, bringing your unique flavor, you can’t be like everybody else.
You see the greatest mistake people make is to start what I call ‘the me-too business.’ Doing something because others are doing it.
Right now, everybody is getting into coaching, and every accountant wants to do tax planning. People want to do the same stuff. When one person starts doing something, everybody jumps into the ocean. What is your unique favor?
See, you have to take a stand and walk the unbeaten path — You must become accountable to succeed in business. Believe in yourself and start the journey, even when no one else believes in you, become your own leader and walk that lonely road.
People have been sold a lie, they are told, ‘you can’t be a leader If no one’s following you,’ That’s a lie, that’s a myth. You are a leader even if you are leading one person, and that person is yourself.
Don’t worry about having a following, build your unique identity, and soon people will come.
So when you declare to yourselves a leader, get ready, it’s a lonely road. No one is going to believe you. When you take a stand, no one will come with you. And that’s perfectly okay, you do not need anybody to validate what you believe.
Focus on the results, focus on the impact, you might be helping a lot of people, focus on that.
Then take the accountability step. You made a choice, to go this way, don’t look back. Believe that you are the only one who can help people, even if it sounds like a bald-faced lie.
Focus on solving the problem, because if you have this problem, millions of others must be experiencing the same problem, believe you are the solution, and take a stand to fight the problem as an army of one.
Become an example, become the person who empowers millions of people, because you took a stand.
In closing:
The greatest tragedy in life is failing to account for your life, failing to become the person you were created to be, and failing to manifest your true self because you failed to take a stand.
That’s not just a tragedy, it’s sin, its wickedness, don’t fail God. Believe you are the absolute best, the only choice to offer that solution because you are. And you know what? when you do, somehow, mysteriously, you will make more money.
