If you want to be successful as an entrepreneur, you have to have a vision. I call it a “vision of success” in my book – you have to know what your successful future looks like and feels like. You have to be able to visualize the people around you, the family that you have built, the house you live in, the car your drive, the city you reside, the community service you provide, the timeline for growth of your business and every other detail that it will take for you to feel successful. Most people have NO CLUE what their vision of success is – walk about to 100 people at the mall and ask them what they want to accomplish in life and what they need to do in order to feel successful. I bet you at least 95 of them look at your with a blank stare and are speechless; if the number was 99 I wouldn’t be shocked.
So why do you need to have this vision? Because it is going to guide you to where you want to be in life. You are inevitably going to face challenges, doubters, obstacles and significant roadblocks that could potentially derail you. People will tell you that you are insane for starting a business, you might run out of startup money or nobody may be interested in your product/service initially. Your vision and being well aware of what your future success is going to look like and feel like is what will guide you through these difficult times. What do I think about when I’m having a tough day? I just close my eyes and picture myself as a NY Times bestselling author with a powerful message that is able to affect millions of people throughout the world. I also see myelf surrounded by an incredible family and amazing friends who support me and add an incredible amount of satisfaction to my life. Once I picture that and everthing else that is in my vision of success I instantly feel motivated and recharged, ready to continue to journey towards my vision.
If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you must have a clear vision of success. Business plans, financial forecasts, market analysis and all of that other stuff is wonderful and necessary, but at the end of the day you have to be able to close your eyes and clearly see what your successful future looks like and how it feels to have reached it.