Being an entrepreneur or business owner has its share of ups and downs. While the downs can be pretty low the ups always seem to triumph for a true entrepreneur at heart. Milestones are what entrepreneurs and business owners work towards. Once you finally reach a certain point then reflection can truly begin. Finding the motivation in growing your business keeps it from becoming stale in the long run. No matter which part you loves most, loving them all is equally as important.
We asked entrepreneurs and business owners what motivates them about growing a business and below are their replies.
#1- My family and friends' prosperity
My business growth doesn’t only affect me but also my family and friends. Employees are like family and I know their spouses and children and they know mine. My prosperity is very intertwined with their and that motivates me to work hard and bring the kind of growth that makes us all stable. Also my business’s growth gives me the opportunity to pull other flailing business people in my industry a leg up through acquisitions. Even though it expands my territory in terms of business, other members of the community of businesspeople benefit and their families prosper as well.
Thanks to Dane Kolbaba, Watchdog Pest Control!
#2-The creation process
The creation process itself can be an incredible motivator. There are obvious factors like drive and financial independence. But, the thing that really drove the creation of my company was the need to create something great. One of the worst parts of working in a corporate office is you never see the growth aside from in a graph at a boring meeting every quarter. When you create your own business the aspect of creation is much more pronounce and is a major source of pride.
Thanks to Alexander M. Kehoe, Caveni Digital Solutions!
#3- The self-worth it creates
The biggest motivating factor to grow my business is the self-worth it creates. I believe it is important to make a difference in this world and to be useful to others. Making a difference gives me a great sense of self-worth and makes me proud and happy about what I do. Growing my business gives me that sense because I believe the more my business grows, the more people I can help. Being in the corporate world for many years,I felt I made very little difference. Working for someone else, I felt I was going to work for a paycheck and fitting into a defined role where my impact felt minimal. Being an owner of my own company has given me the ability to focus on what is important for my happiness and what I think will make a difference.
Thanks to Manny Vetti, Backtaxeshelp.com!
#4- Seeing your hard work pay off
We've turned improving company metrics into a game. The success of breaking records or hitting goals is thrilling for the whole company. There's nothing like seeing your hard work pay off to make you want to come back and do even better the next day. It makes us ask, how much better can we make tomorrow's numbers than today's? This mentality brings out the competitive nature in our team and creates an enthusiastic workplace where everyone wants to help the company grow.
Thanks to Dave Carmany, OnlineLabels.com!
#5- My family's experience
The day my husband lost his job shattered the certainty of my family’s world. Urgency and fear are often stronger emotions for an entrepreneur than doubt in oneself. Now, I was feeling these emotions myself. In a moment, I became the primary breadwinner. I was forced to, as they say, “pull up my bootstraps” and get to work. In reality, I was determined to find my success long before this day, but this experience helped me discover in myself a new strength… confidence that I work so hard to help my clients find in themselves. Franklin D. Roosevelt wisely stated in his first inaugural speech, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself!” Get out there and get done what needs doing! I have confidence in you. At the end of the day, it’s not only about the business – it’s really about you. First you need to have personal clarity and understanding surrounding what you want and how you work. Any decision that is made regarding building and running a business will require 100% commitment. Being an entrepreneur is not a hobby, it’s a job and it requires your full focus and attention.
Thanks to Dolores Hirschmann, Masters in Clarity!
#6- Desire to make an impact
Many people want to grow their businesses to achieve financial freedom. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good goal to set for yourself. But my motivation for growing my business is not only to grow our number of clients we provide our services to, but also to make an impact on as many business owners and individuals as possible. Your business will always be associated with you and vice versa. My main motivation for growing my business is to influence others – show them that it can be done through hard work, sacrifice, belief and persistence. I want to leave a legacy where I have made an impact on people, helped business owners and made a difference in the lives of everyone I came across client or non – client whether it be through word, action or an effective strategy implemented.
Thanks to Rucien Petersen, Spottmedia (Pty) Ltd!
#7- Successful outcomes
In our early days of working for ourselves, everything my husband and I did to grow our business was motivated to a large part by the desire for a larger income so we could work from home more comfortably. As we matured over the years, we discovered that while money was a decent motivator, a much stronger (and more effective) motivator was the successful outcomes our clients experienced after working with us. Now, our entire business model is centered around this one motivator–which interestingly, takes care of all the other reasons for being in business for ourselves! Innovate your business to serve your clients better and better everyday. The feedback of doing an exceptional job and making a difference in the lives of others will give you the motivation you need to keep going strong!
Thanks to Kama Wilson, LoveItGuaranteed.com!
#8- Innovating
Few entrepreneurs speaking honestly are going to say anything other than to make more money as their motivation to grow their business, so let's get that out of the way first in the interests of transparency! That said, money alone isn't enough to keep anyone at the grindstone year on year, and for me, my motivations also include the sheer satisfaction of creating something and seeing it thrive, evolve, and achieve more than I ever imagined might be possible at the outset. Also, as my business has grown, my team has too. I take the responsibility of ensuring that I can look after my workers, offer them good pay and conditions, and safeguard their jobs for the future very seriously – so this needs to be mentioned as a major motivator as well!
Thanks to John Moss, English Blinds!
#9- Keeping my employees motivated
Put simply, I want to make a lot of money. As I get older, my reasons for wanting to be financially successful have changed, but I would be lying if I said there was another reason I work as much as I do. One of my primary reasons for wanting my company – and not just me – to continually succeed is because I have discovered the importance of quality employees. I learned very quickly that my company can only grow if my employees are growing as well, so I continue to try to make my company as successful and enjoyable as possible to keep my current employees motivated and my potential employees interested.
Thanks to Matt McKenna, DELT!
#10- Celebrating what is working
The hustle is constant at any stage of your business. Yes, there are days when you are tired and everything seems impossible. But don’t focus on what’s not working for you. I stay motivated by celebrating what is working and tweaking what is not. Really, when is the last time you celebrated a win? Often they go unrecognized. Always focusing on one win at a time is how I have grown my business and a mindset I teach my clients and team. No matter if it is a big or little win if you are winning you are headed in the right direction.
Thanks to Suzanne Evans, Driven Inc.!
#11- Have more freedom
My motivation to grow our business is always to have more freedom in life – to be able to spend more time with loved ones and to be financially free. I have always envisioned myself being my own boss, travelling around the world and being able to financially look after family. This vision is my motivation to make it a reality.
Thanks to Ellie Pearce, Whoever You Need!
#12- Constantly raising the bar
The motivation for me to start multiple ventures over the last 6 years has always been how can I constantly challenge myself and raise the bar of what that challenge is? By putting this concept at the forefront of mind, I force myself to learn new and more complex skills over time in order to keep up with the growth of my companies. In the process, I can more efficiently manage them while better solving customers' problems. The larger the problem is, the larger the company can scale. In turn, this enhances the challenges I must face on a daily basis, and therefore makes me feel satisfied with how I spend my time.
Thanks to Sean Weisbrot, Sidekick!
#13- To be financially free
I want to be free of corporate rules and nonsense meeting without a purpose. I also want my business to serve people, to help them achieve their goals and change their lives for the better. Because business is created by people, for the people and everybody deserves a chance to become financially free.
Thanks to Michael Rewers, Blogerio!
#14- Nobody left behind!
In this age of high technology, we discovered that for children with disabilities there were no simple low tech tools to help them hold a spoon, a cup, a toothbrush, or even just a toy all by themselves. Recognizing the need for accessible, affordable products, our company swung into high gear and brought to market the first infant to adult-sized grip aids for hospital and home use. The positive response to our line of inclusive products was immediate. I really don't know what could be more motivating than enabling a child or adult with special needs to eat, write, or play independently. This drives us every day to grow our business, reach everyone who needs, and make sure that a new generation of kids and adults with physical challenges will not be left behind.
Thanks to Kerry Mellin, Mellin Works LLC, EazyHold!
#15- Leaving it better
After my mother in law passed in 2013 without any life insurance, we started our final expense agency to protect other families. I am motivated to protect my clients' interests and help them leave a legacy not a burden for their families. We are ethical in everything we do when working with our clients who are predominantly seniors. I am personally committed to disrupting the final expense industry in a positive manner to flush out all the agents not doing things the right way. My dad always stressed to us growing up that you leave situations better than you found them!
Thanks to Katherine Adams, Creative Legacy Group!
#16- To push my personal development to the next level
With every new stage in my business, I have had to face or let go of limiting beliefs about myself or the world which have in turn allowed for success beyond my wildest dreams in just 8 months' time. The only way to grow is to expand beyond what you ever thought was possible, inevitably creating new areas of improvement in your life. From leaving a comfortable corporate sales job at Facebook, to hiring my first employee, then my second employee, investing in high-ticket mentors and making key, terrifying pivots, I have had to shed a layer of ego and fear at every step. Entrepreneurship makes you agile, able to view the world more clearly and truly live it to its fullest potential.
Thanks to Tanya Neufeld, The Strategiste!
#17- Evolves as the company grows
The motivation for growth is something that constantly evolves as a business grows. Most business owners (myself included) began with simply wanting to make enough money to be independent. That is typically phase 1. The next motivation is to dominate your particular industry or at least capture a good piece of the market share. That is when employees come on board and a philosophy or culture is established. Phase 3 would be the public recognition inside and outside of the particular industry as an authority. Personally, I am motivated to grow Tracking System Direct to be viewed as an authority on all things GPS tracking so when a business or law enforcement agency needs a vehicle tracking solution our company is the first name they think of. A name that is associated with quality products, kick-ass customer service, and an online resource of information on anything GPS tracking related. The thing about authority is it can’t be purchased or measured on spreadsheets, as a companies’ reputation requires the development of a more personal and ongoing nature.
Thanks to Ryan Horban, Tracking System Direct!
#18- To grow my personal brand and build my credibility
I would like to be recognized as someone that people find interesting, and blogging allows me to share my content with a niche group of like-minded individuals. As my blog grows, I am connected with more and more people, making it a hobby that gets more entertaining as I generate more traffic. I have the mindset where I believe that if you are passionate about something, you tend to create a better product. With my blog, I feel that since I am passionate about it, I am able to help people in an authentic and meaningful way.
Thanks to John Tocci
#19- Setting goals
Motivation can lack when business is not always thriving, but this never causes me to give up hope. My biggest strategy for keeping myself motivated is setting goals. I always have goals in terms of my business and the professional life that I am striving for – some are small, while others are much bigger. Getting in some of those smaller goals is important – these give you reasons to celebrate the smaller successes in your corporate career. Apart from motivation, I always ensure I take breaks at the appropriate times. Simply working all the time and striving toward those goals – this can get frustrating for anyone, regardless of how eager they are to grow the business. Taking a break helps you clear your mind, and you’ll feel refreshed afterward.
Thanks to Joe Flanagan, GetSongBPM!
#20- Serve the underserved living with diabetes
Our motivation everyday is to reach and help the over 31 million people living with Diabetes, and another 80 million people with prediabetes, obtain the best possible insurance policy available to them. Nobody else out there is helping the Diabetes community with their health, life, disability and long term care insurance needs, the way we do. Waking up everyday, knowing that we are able to help people with a chronic illness with their insurance needs, is truly the only motivation we need. Having type 2 diabetes myself, I know how under served my Diabetes community is.
Thanks to Matt Schmidt, Diabetes 365!