Entrepreneurship – How To Find Your Purpose in Business
01. Jun, 2010 
36 Comments
I just read a quick piece by John C. Maxwell the other day and it totally inspired me to come back and write this quick post. He actually talks about finding your purpose and playing to your strengths. It’s actually a very simple process starting with identifying your purpose in life. One of the things that separate many successful people from the rest of society is that they know why they are here on this earth. Its a feeling that not many of us know. It’s one of the toughest things in life to do. Actually know why you’re here and what your true purpose in life is. You see when others give up the people who are after true success keep going.
We all know that your passion is what drives you and is a key part of how to grow your business by doing something that you love (Gary Vaynerchuk tells you how). Passion however is not the only thing that will take you to success. You still have to do all the work that is needed to build your business. Now what John Maxwell says to do is not your typical advice but it makes complete sense. What is it?
Stop working on your weaknesses. Yep that’s right. Stop trying to be a web designer when you’re actually a first class article writer.
Cater to your strengths. Keep building on them and you will carve out a niche for yourself and become an expert in that niche. Sounds simple enough right?
It sounds simple but its something that many of us try to avoid as we build an online business. You see the issue is that when you become an entrepreneur you tend to be running your own ship. You’re the captain and deck hand all in one and we tend to push ourselves into being a jack of all trades. Its great to learn all of this stuff and in some ways you have to, but after a while we all know what’s going to happen. You’re going to run out of time…there are only so many minutes in a day. This is where you have to start outsourcing. You may not need it now but eventually it will be essential to free up time in your business in order to concentrate on the money making aspects of your business.
Now having purpose alone will not make you successful. It is really the combination of that purpose, your passion and producing what Mr. Maxwell calls a “Growth Plan”. What is a “Growth Plan”? Well lets start with what its not. “It is not an automatic process. If you’re going to grow, you need to do so intentionally.”
What it is, is how you plan to go about growing as a person and a leader. It is what you do every single day to continuously learn what you need to in order to be at the top of your niche. A key point is that people don’t pay for average, they don’t settle for mediocrity and neither should you. Commit yourself to excellence and growth and . So what are you going to do to separate yourself from the rest of the pack, to show that you are truly a leader who can lead and help others in their quest for success?
1. Create a Growth Plan. Something that you will stick to every single day. Start with something like reading 1 chapter of a Personal Development book.
2. Continue to learn about your chosen niche. Make sure that you learn something new about your niche every day. Remember, people pay for experts and to become an expert you must commit yourself to learning and building your knowledge base.
3. Help others. We should all know by now that helping others is a great path to success. Do this without expecting anything in return. It will all come back to your ten-fold.
“Highly successful people know their purpose in life, they grow to their maximum potential and they sow seeds that benefit others. They don’t live for themselves. They’re a river, not a reservoir. They understand what significance is. Significance is adding value to others.” ~ John Maxwell
Do you know your purpose in life is? Do you already have a Growth Plan? Leave a comment below and let me know where you are in this process and what you’re doing create success.
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Hi Brian!
Great post, I loved it! You are so right, being in business for yourself you begin to see that you ARE ‘captain and deck hand’, but we know that being a jack of all trades often means master of none, and so a growth plan is essential.
And you lay it out so simply here, it’s brilliant. I love being able to simplify the complex problems in life and in business, it becomes something anyone can believe they can do.
Thanks for some great words of wisdom!
Wishing You Every Success,
Vicki
.-= Vicki Berry´s last blog ..Three Keys to Improving Your SEO =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 2:09 AM
Vicki, thanks for stopping by. You are so right. We do end up being a master of none when we continue to take that all in one approach.
~BT
Great post! I’m super guilty of the “jack of all trades” syndrome you speak of. I’m just now giving in to the need to outsource and I wish I would of done it sooner. Better late than never. Your header looks great BTW. Did you outsource that or did you do it yourself?
.-= Jesse Walker´s last blog ..Your Own Professional Internet Marketing Video Studio for Under $300? =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 2:07 AM
Hey Jesse, thanks for stopping by. You could say that I outsourced my header in a way. I may be getting some design services together but I will have someone running that portion of the business for me. (Design is not my strength…hint hint)
Thanks again for stopping by and let me know if I can ever help you out with anything.
~BT
I enjoyed your post as usual Brian. Just because someone else is getting great results with a marketing method does not mean we should drop what we are best at and try to become average at something we may never become good at. It makes no sense.
~Marcus
.-= Marcus Baker´s last blog ..Call Your Home Business Leads, Call Them Now and Here’s Why =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 1:52 PM
That’s right Marcus. You have to be focused on what works and what you’re good at. It is the best path to success.
~BT
Hi Brian,
Super post here. We all know deep down what our definite major purpose is. The issue is that everybody else attempts to bury it with the limiting beliefs they shower upon us, making it hard for us to uncover.
Great point about the jack of all trades syndrome. Successful people generally stick to one venture at a time. This affords them to concentrate on one purpose and concentration gives you power.
Thanks for sharing your insight Brian!
Ryan
.-= Ryan´s last blog ..How To Become Successful (Video) =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 10:53 PM
Thanks for stopping by Ryan. Focus is very important and we need to always keep that in mind.
Talk to you soon bud.
~BT
Great post Brian!
BTW, Maxwell’s stuff is gold. This material is sweet man and ALL factors that it takes to become successful and a great leader.
Kudo’s man, glad I stopped by!
.-= Ryan Yokome´s last blog ..Be Yourself on Facebook; Everyone Else Is Already Taken =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 10:53 PM
Hey Ryan, glad you enjoyed my friend.
~BT
Brian,
I really like what you brought up about not catering to your weaknesses but your strengths! All I can say is Amen. I learned this the hard way – I always thought I had to do everything myself!
Not anymore!
You rock!
Ange;-)
.-= Angela Giles´s last blog ..Change one word, DOUBLE your conversion rate =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 1:54 PM
Hey Angela, you know it my friend. It’s so hard when you have to do everything. I believe many people become overwhelmed and that has alot to do with them quitting in the end.
Thanks for stopping by as usual
~BT
Great points, Brian! It is easy to focus on our weaknesses and trying to make them stronger, but it really does make so much more sense to focus on our strengths and use those!
.-= Stacy´s last blog ..Who Are You Becoming? =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:13 PM
Hey Stacy, it sure is. That is exactly how you become the best in your niche.
Thanks for stopping by.
~BT
Brian,
I really love your reviews. I am such a book person and you always have really great resources.
I am in the process of discovering my strengths. Funny how we get better results when we accept and take advantage of who we are.
Thanks for this post!
Garth
.-= Garth Reynolds´s last blog ..Networking Lesson Passed from Father to Son =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 5th, 2010 at 12:19 AM
Garth, thanks for the compliment brother. Your strengths are within you my friend. Take advantage of who you are and you will prosper.
Thanks for stopping by and stay in touch.
~BT
Hey Brian,
We all have talents in a lot of areas, but as you mentioned being the “Jack of all” is not to our advantage… focus on our strengths.
I’m glad I dropped by… I needed that reminder.
Coach Freddie
.-= Coach Freddie´s last blog ..How’s Your Lifestyle? =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 5th, 2010 at 5:11 PM
Thanks for stopping by Freddie. Focus, Focus, Focus. That’s the name of the game. Keeping your eye on that prize.
~BT
Hi Brian, I’m just now discovering my strengths and thanks to this post will concentrate on them more.
.-= Nancy Collins´s last blog ..Small Business Advantage with a Pitney Bowes Postage Meter =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 10:55 PM
Hey Nancy, that’s great and be sure to keep up with those strengths.
Talk to you soon.
~BT
Hey Brian
Great post, I really love your writing style, it is so easy to read your stuff.
You have some great points in here that bought back a lot of memories for me when I got started, great job!
cheers
Nat
.-= Nat´s last blog ..F*R*E*E* Tools – My List Of “Must Haves” =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 5th, 2010 at 5:13 PM
Hey Nat, thanks for the compliment my dear. Glad that you enjoyed.
Thanks for stopping by and I’ll talk to you soon.
~BT
Brian,
Great tips you share on here, I find that Growth Plan is key as we should always strive to grow our business, grow within ourselves and challenge ourselves.
.-= Chris Bernardo´s last blog ..How Giveaways brings New Customers and Leads to You =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 5th, 2010 at 5:15 PM
Hey Chris, that’s right my friend. Having that plan is essential to our success. Hope your 30 Day challenge is going well. I’ll stop by to see how things are going.
~BT
SICK!! Dude, I loved this post. It’s definitely something that has been on my mind lately, the fact that my business needs to be run with purpose and passion. I’ve had some real reality checks lately–and as you stated in your post, I have found myself becoming a “jack of all trades.” And I’m not kidding…
Over the last year, I have devoted a TON of my time to becoming a fairly knowledgeable person in:
HTML
FTP
Websites
Design
SEO
PPC Marketing
Affiliate Marketing
CPA Marketing
Article Writing
and more…
Now I have all this knowledge in my head and I have no idea what to do with it. I want to run a business I can feel good about–be proud of. But at this point, I have so many “trades” that I don’t even know which one I’m passionate about! Any advice?
Thanks!
.-= Travis A Morgan´s last blog ..And So It Begins… =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 10:49 PM
Hey Travis, sounds as if you’ve definitely put yourself out to learn alot of different skills that could be useful to others.
Shoot me a message through the “Contact Me” page and let’s chat some time and see if we can’t find a great niche for you.
Talk to you soon my friend.
Brian,
One of my favorite books is “The Purpose Drive Life” by Rick Warren and it applies so perfectly with this post!
Having a purpose gives you direction instead of being a wandering generality.
A purpose will also keep you laser focused on spending most of your time on your gifts and your talents as opposed to your weaknesses.
Cheers my friend,
- Yo
.-= Yo Le´s last blog ..The 2 To 5 Year Game Plan Is Officially Dead… =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 12:14 AM
Yo, I’m definitely going to have to check that book out. We all have our gifts and we should concentrate on developing them as much as we can.
Thanks for dropping by letting me know about this book as well bro.
~BT
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
I would actually put number three at the top. It seems that everything I do to help others unselfishly, comes back to me in relatively massive amounts. Therefore I do that first and the rest tends to follow a little faster.
.-= Seth Miller´s last blog ..Taking a Different Path =-.
Brian Tomlinson Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 10:56 PM
Hey Seth, I’m with you on that my friend. We do need to help others unconditionally and it will all come right back to us.
Karma baby…Karma.
~BT
I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
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