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Let Dreams Guide You to Your Purpose

What is fire without heat, or a bulb without light? The answer? Well, not much. The same goes for entrepreneurial ventures without purpose.

Perhaps, not surprising to some, an individual’s purpose in life is often related to his or her hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, dreams get downplayed a little too often once people enter adulthood and are instead relegated to Disney World and children with big, wide eyes and a hope for the world. Instead of squashing that dream in pursuit of a more sensible future, entrepreneurs can relight their dreams while simultaneously discovering (or perhaps rediscovering) their purposes.

With dreams come purpose.
Still not convinced to follow your dreams? Children often dream of what appears to be comically stereotypical futures. One kid wants to be a veterinarian, another wants to be an astronaut and another a doctor. Pretty generic, right? But, the reasons and motivations behind those dreams often reveal a deeply burning purpose that is perhaps igniting for the first time. The first child is not dreaming of becoming a veterinarian because puppies are cute, but he or she is doing so because helping animals brings joy. The kid dreaming of being a doctor just wants to help people in any way he or she can. And what about that astronaut with his or her eyes on the stars? Maybe he or she understands that someone needs to give hope to the world.

So, what was it that you dreamed of becoming when you were small? A scientist, an artist or maybe even a football player? Resist the urge to brush aside those desires when embarking down the path of entrepreneurship, because even when you were little, your purpose was trying to guide you.

Leaving Your Job? Follow These Easy Strategies for Entrepreneurs

The typical desk job or position at a large company can be difficult and frustrating for those with an entrepreneurial spirit. Far too often, ideas from these types of employees are overlooked or pushed aside in favor of more traditional pursuits for the company. For entrepreneurs, however, that type of response can be the start of something much bigger.

Many startups with some of the most innovative ideas were founded by people whose ideas were once ignored at their previous places of employment. Since these innovations typically fall in the same line of business, these startups tend to offer alternatives and even options not available at the larger, more established companies. The most successful entrepreneurs make the leap from employee to business owner by following some of the same strategies as the entrepreneurs who went before them:

  • Think big: Instead of thinking about where a project will land a business in the next day or next week, broaden your perspective to where it will lead your business over the next few years. Where will this new project or idea ultimately go, and what new options or products could it lead to?
  • Let go: Worried that an idea will not be successful on its own when Big Company Inc. turned it down? Fear can be one of the top roadblocks to successfully creating a new business, which means entrepreneurs have to learn to let go of fear in order to take the next step.
  • Embrace setbacks: Sometimes things just do not work out. A supplier falls through, web traffic is down or a new product is not performing as well as predicted. Instead of falling back in defeat, understand that setbacks are temporary, and then tackle the issue head on.

Moving away from a steady, guaranteed paycheck to become the owner of a startup is a remarkable moment in an entrepreneur’s life. Crafting personal strategies around basic entrepreneurial strategies that have stood the test of time is an effective way to make the transition.

Customer Relationships: Are You Getting It Right?

If you are a business owner, there is no relationship more important than the one you have with your customer. Customer relationships are vital to your business, and it is of utmost importance that you get it right–because you will probably only get one chance. Your customer service strategy may not be on the right track if your business does any or all of the following:

  • You try to manage your customers with software. Many businesses use a a software program to keep track of customer interaction, sales, returns and other various forms of contact. While this is beneficial on many levels, you must be sure that you are not neglecting building personal relationships with your customer and client base. If your software is dictating the way to deal with your customers, rethink your strategy and always aim for putting people first and computers second.
  • You are receiving poor feedback. It is truly remarkable how many businesses ignore signs of poor customer service and relationships. One complaint is unfortunate, two complaints are a trend. The second you identify an issue with the way your company interacts with customers, fix it.
  • You have few referrals and little positive interaction on social media. When people like something, they talk about it. If you are having positive interactions with your customers and they are pleased with what they are receiving from your business, they will sing your praises to family, friends and all of their Facebook friends. 

At the end of the day, every customer service strategy boils down to this: treat people well, and they will treat you well in return. When you go the extra mile, you not only impress customers or potential clients, you also lay the groundwork for a genuine relationship.