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 love 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- Desire to leave a legacy
As a CEO, what motivates me the most is how can I leave a legacy in my company. In my experience, money is not the most important motivator for this position; a CEO is more motivated in a challenge than a compensation. Having confidence that the job I am doing will positively impact future generations is essential for me in this role. If I can feel and see that my work will open up more opportunities to people in the future, I will
give my all to make a lasting impact in this leadership role.
Thanks to Jeff Mains, Champion Leadership Group!
#2- Helping through the divorce process
My motivation for growing my business is simple: I want to evolve the divorce process. Most people think when they are contemplating divorce, they need to hire an attorney. However, this is the most expensive and time-consuming. If I can help one couple through their divorce, I can save their time and money. Since most of the negotiations during divorce are around the division of assets, using a financial advisor to guide you through the process makes sense. As a certified divorce financial analyst and mediator, I try to work with my clients upfront and bring in the attorneys later on in the process.
Thanks to Whitney Fields, Whitney Fields!
#3- Setting standards by innovation
My business is about artistry and self-expression, so the motivation for me is to be able to constantly push boundaries and think outside the box. The only way to accomplish this is by moving beyond last year’s ideas. By always searching for new creative avenues, as well as the desire to outdo my competitors, I find the fire to keep going. Approaching my business to set the standard, rather than follow a trend, is all the motivation I need.
Thanks to Yuvi Alpert, Noemie!
#4- Supporting artists to grow
I'm trying to build a consulting business to support small artists in growing their businesses. I struggled so much while I was building my sticker business, Nonbeenary Designs, and I recognized that others must be struggling, too. There are tons of resources out there to support general Etsy businesses, but there's just not a lot of information on how to make a small art business successful. I really want to connect the dots for folks so that they, too, can start bringing their art into the world.
Thanks to Sam Davis, Nonbeenary Designs!
#5- Desire for more sustainable future
The motivation for growing my business stems from a deep passion for creating a more sustainable future for the world. At FigBytes, we believe making positive changes for the planet is possible. The more organizations we can help on their sustainability journey, the brighter our collective future. I am in the unique and exciting position to support
organizations around the world at every step of their sustainability journey. Knowing that I can make a difference motivates me to keep going, even when it’s hard to do so.
Thanks to Ted Dhillon, FigBytes!
#6- Setting goals
When business isn't constantly booming, motivation can be lacking, but this never causes me to lose hope. Setting objectives is the most effective way for me to stay motivated. In terms of my business and professional life, I always have goals in mind some are little, while others are considerably larger. It's critical to include some of those minor goals since they provide you reasons to appreciate your corporate career's smaller
victories.
Thanks to Dan Trichter, Accessibility Checker!
#7- Establishing connections for others
I've always been extroverted and a huge networker, and it's been one of my most useful tactics for growing PathSocial. I'm always building connections for others around me, and I get the feeling that if I don't know who I'm looking for, someone I know will. And now I'm even providing individuals across the world a tool that helps them find the most amazing connections. Over the years, my idea has evolved into more than just a business. It's turned into a mission for me.
Thanks to Kathryn Smithson, PathSocial!
#8- Helping my team to achieve success
My business isn't just me. It's my entire team. Of course, I want to be successful, but more than that, I want my team to be successful. I want to see them grow and change. I want to see them realize the freedom that every entrepreneur is chasing, whether it's with me or in their own business. There's enough to go around – we're all winners in my world – so helping my team set and achieve lofty goals in the process of growing my business is plenty of motivation to keep me going.
Thanks to James Green, Build a Head!
#9- Making video making easy
InVideo is a video-creating tool that moderates the ponderous process of making a video. Several years ago, while I was creating videos for non-fictional books and uploading them on YouTube, I realized the potential of videos in the modern world and the hassle creators have to go through to perfect their videos. Both these reasons motivated me to create a tool that can make video creation an unwinding experience rather than a tiresome process
Thanks to Sanket Shah, InVideo!
#10- Focusing on positivity
Focusing on the good is what keeps me motivated to grow our business. Running a business comes with many challenges, and sometimes, failing seems to be inevitable. Failures dampen your energy and make you lose hope, but it is important to keep in mind that failures are part of growth. Take failures as opportunities to learn and improve more. It is also imperative to focus on everything good that's going on in your business and celebrate small wins. What's important is that you are moving in the right direction.
Thanks to Lauri Kinkar, Messente!
#11- Desire for a clear vision
The goal is the main motivation for things. My vision for the business is what is driving me to continue what I have started. Visions are not just about a certain position but also about stability and sustainability. Having this kind of thinking opens the path towards opportunities and endless desires to little by little, achieve development and growth. During the journey, it may be hard to seek reasons for you to continue but as long as you have the vision and clear objective in you, you will, again and again, come up hyped and fueled every day.
Thanks to Keenan Beavis, Longhouse Media!
#12- Sharing knowledge and experience
My motivation to grow my business is to share my knowledge and experience with potential clients to better understand the investigative field. I believe that the more people know what is available for them, the more they can decide whether or not their particular needs are being met. Strategic planning, market research, and understanding what your brand means to your audience are all studied extensively by companies who want to grow their business.
Thanks to Richard James, Rivica Convert Investigations!
#13- Making leaders perform better
Why not grow a business? I think that's what sets entrepreneurs apart from those who aren't — we have no choice. It's in our blood to build, create, expand, and deliver our message. Money is great. Flexibility is great. But the power, opportunity, and privilege of being able to share the values I, for instance, have in making leaders better (as a leadership performance coach) underscores all of it. We have a story to tell, and we can't sit idly by while someone else after we're gone, tries to dictate the story of who we were and what we were worth. That's our story to share daily.
Thanks to John Jaramillo, Coach It Out, LLC!
#14- Helping people with secure funding
Fig loans started as a payday loan alternative. Most payday loans can be credit-damaging, or incredibly expensive. In trying to offer an alternative, we created a financial product that helps build credit and improve our customer’s financial standing. These can help people secure funding and provide structured and flexible repayment options that improve credit scores. Helping people serves as the primary motivator to continue to grow Fig Loans. The more our company grows, the more people we can help.
Thanks to Jeffrey Zhou, Fig Loans!
#15- Desire to make a positive impact
Being in the tech industry has taught me a lot, one of the main things it taught me was how innovation is important to grow. This applies even in our everyday life, we need a new innovative goal to work towards every day to keep ourselves going. For me, the motivation to grow my business comes from the fact that as long as I use the intellectual freedom I have to create content that helps other people, it will have a domino effect. And knowing that my work can have a positive impact motivates me to grow my business every day.
Thanks to Aseem Kishore, Help Desk Geek!
#16- Having self-confidence
As a small business owner, self-confidence can change your perspective in any situation. When the going gets tough, that's the time to dig deep and remember why you embarked on your entrepreneurial journey. When you struggle with finances, you have staff shortages, or personal issues begin to take their toll on you, you will need faith in yourself. That deep-seated belief will tell you to push through, that everything will be worth it in the long run. If you can rely on yourself your growth will never end.
Thanks to Saskia Ketz, Mojomox!
#17- Clearing the first hurdles
Having launched my bootstrap startup earlier this year my motivation to grow the business is to get beyond the initial MVP/ POC stage. We operate in a high-volume and high-value search market. We have a hypothesis and belief that by putting together a passionate team of online gaming professionals and utilizing the latest marketing techniques, we can create the most comprehensive online gambling guides on the web. Achieving the initial traction via organic growth will allow us to scale up our operations.
Thanks to Mark Good, Casino Sites Online!
#18- Supporting the business community
My motivation for growing a business is to help other business leaders and see them succeed. Eventually, I launched my own tech consulting firm to continue to help companies with their fundraising and exits, especially women entrepreneurs. I have been fortunate to have worked with amazing teams and been instrumental in building market credibility and growth for each. I've learned a lot too and use the lessons learned to help more entrepreneurs and the innovation community. Seeing founders succeed makes me happy and motivates me to do better.
Thanks to Parna Sarkar-Basu, Brand and Buzz Marketing!
#19- Continued customer support
The motivation for growing a business is always improving the customer experience. The thing with SaaS products especially is that you can’t just build them once and let them take care of themselves if you want the business to be sustainable. You have to constantly keep improving, otherwise, the competition will eat you up. Finding better ways to solve your existing customers’ problems is the key to keeping your business
relevant and valuable.
Thanks to Adam Hempenstall, Better Proposals!
#20- Desire to help others grow
My motivation to grow my business is simple yet deep: helping others grow and growing myself simultaneously. Every business I ever started was a result of my desire to serve others to the best of my ability, and entrepreneurship was the only way to achieve that. I understand that by growing my business I'm also growing as a leader and person and that I'm helping others grow as well. This approach has always kept me motivated and going in business.
Thanks to Becky Brown, Shopping Kim!
#21- Opportunities from business growth
For all of the businesses that I've started, my growth mindset kicks in particularly at the moment when I've gotten past the initial hurdle of simply lifting the company off the ground. A business is like a living organism that needs growth and development to keep thriving. The people in and around the business thrive on the growth that the business creates and the opportunities that follow. Personally, I'm highly motivated by the ‘opportunity spillover' effect business growth creates.
Thanks to Olga Moreno, Vibes Creative!
#22- Independence to make my own decisions
Growing a business for me is forging my own path and taking control of my financial future. I enjoy working for myself, not others, and creating my own rules and guidelines. Of course, it also involves taking risks, learning to adapt quickly when things change, and facing possible failures. But I just love being my own boss, and being an entrepreneur is such a liberating experience because it gives me freedom, satisfaction, and flexibility. That motivates me to overcome challenges and have the perseverance to keep going and achieve my goals.
Thanks to Charles Cridland, Your Parking Space!
#23- Sense of achievement
Growing my business means working towards achieving the goals that I set for myself to pursue my dream of building a business from the ground up. I love what I do, so when I reach my goals, I feel a great sense of accomplishment that makes me feel proud of what I have done, helping other people and businesses. That motivates me to set new goals, work hard towards achieving them, and overcome failures.
Thanks to Andrew Raso, Online Marketing Gurus Australia!
#24- Becoming an industry leader
Something that motivates the growth of my business is the aspiration to become an industry leader. Aspiration has the power to be one of the biggest motivators behind starting a business. From aspiration comes creativity, ideas, and innovation. If you don't see a future for your business, then it might as well be over before it's even started. You need to have an extended plan for your business. Understand what you want 5 years from now, not just 5 weeks from now. Long-term goals are fantastic motivators, and keep you connected to the humble beginnings of your business.
Thanks to Gabriel Dungan, ViscoSoft!
#25- Investing in people
My motivation used to be the monetary aspect, but through the years of being an entrepreneur, the most rewarding aspect is investing in people. Coaching your team members and seeing how great they become under your guidance is something I do not take lightly. I have been lucky enough to come into contact with outstanding employees
who work hard and share my value system, which has led to them successfully leading companies I have started.
Thanks to Nick Antonopoulos, SEO Design Chicago!
#26- Having an enthusiastic team
I am motivated by assembling great teams of people together who enthusiastically bring ideas to life. I really enjoy working with others to distill down the problem set, assess the variables, and then analyze the feasibility, scenarios, and measurable impacts required for potential solutions. When this is done well, one feels an unparalleled sense of accomplishment that can be celebrated every step of the way, because, by working in concert, people can truly create something novel with measurable value from ideas, diverse perspectives, and clarity of vision.
Thanks to Jake Weatherly, SheerID!
#27- Providing opportunities
My motivation is to keep giving both employers and employees opportunities they may not have had before to hire top talent on time. I have been on both sides of exhausting and long hiring processes, where both sides end up losing. I am also motivated when I see how I can help improve diversity and inclusion not only at my own company but others. It is about time companies are as diverse as the population.
Thanks to Scott Hirsch, TalentMarketplace!
#28- The desire to compete
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved competition with others. This concerned school, work, jiu-jitsu training, and, finally, doing business. The more difficult the opponent, the greater the challenge and satisfaction of winning. In 2015 my small, ongoing startup defeated mighty competition and won the polish market of biometric photo-booths. Now, we are working hard to overcome the rest and become world leaders of biometric photography. The prospect of competing with the best in the world excites and drives me!
Thanks to Tomek Mlodzki, PhotoAiD!
#29- The sense of purpose
When I was in my late 20s, I questioned everything. Being in business gives me a sense of purpose and makes me feel like I am making a difference. Making a difference gives me great satisfaction and makes me proud and happy about my work. The more my business grows, the more people I will be able to help. For many years, I worked in the corporate world, but I didn't feel like I made any impact. As the owner of my own business, I have been able to focus on what is important for my happiness and what I think will make a difference.
Thanks to Nathan Watson, Lion Locs!