Before you even think about what business to start, you have to identify your ‘WHY’…
i.e. Why do you really want to start a business?
The issue with most people is their ‘why’ is not strong enough. When you ask them the question above, they typically respond with “to make more money”, “to be free” or to “be my own boss”. Although they are valid reasons to start a business, they are not necessarily deep ones.
They will not carry you through the tough times of running a business. Think about it. I bet you have wanted to start a business in the past to ‘make more money’ but has this motivated you enough to get started and commit to one thing? Probably not and the reason is because your ‘why’ is not strong enough…
So how do you identify your true ‘why’?
You have to carry out a short exercise called ‘Seven Levels Deep’
I first discovered this exercise in the New York Times bestselling book: Millionaire Success Habits by Dean Graziosi.
The way it works is you start off with the question above: ‘why do you want to start a business?’ and the answer to this question forms the basis of the next question, so if you respond with “to make more money”, the next question would be ‘why do you want to make more money?’ and you repeat this process another 6 times.
What will happen is, after the 3rd or 4th answer, you will begin to dig deep and answer from your heart, and not your head.
Your 7th and final answer will be your true ‘why’ and you should remind yourself of this reason regularly in order to stay focused and committed to your business, even during the tough times. Perhaps you should write it on a piece of paper and stick it on your bedroom wall so you remember it often.
To give you an idea of how this works, I’ve listed the answers to my ‘Seven Levels Deep’ exercise below:
So that is my ‘why’: Because I love my parents and I want to do everything I can to support them later on in life. Do you see how powerful that it is? Whenever I need to push myself to the next level, I remind myself of my reason ‘why’ and it instantly gives me a boost.
Now, it’s your turn…
Why don’t you spare a few minutes and complete the Seven Levels Deep exercise yourself. Then, let me know what your true why is in the comments below.