Your life has meaning, and so should your business. All great business leaders will tell you that it’s not enough to create a business to make money even though this is what so many starting business owners do. However, you don’t see these small businesses rising. The owners of these small businesses with only profits in mind stay where they are with a great deal of struggle and stress. Seeking money first will never make a business great. What makes businesses great are people—the people who believe so intently in a product or service that they stand by it in good times and in bad.
Doing What You Love
People are constantly told that if they do what they love, they’ll never work a day in their life. Despite how often this is said, it’s amazing that there are so few that actually follow the advice. Whether you’re self-employed or the owner of a large company, it’s essential to do what you love. If you don’t love what you do, you will struggle with your company, with your employees and to sell your product or service once the thrill of the profits are gone. Many people set out in business to just “make money”, but that will last only so long. When you love what you do, you are naturally enthusiastic every single day of your life, and this will convey in everything you do and say to your employees and customers.
Believing in Your Product or Service
You must believe in your product or service. If you know what you have to offer is substandard or will not really help people, you will rely on falsifying information to sell it. Most people cannot do this in good conscience. There will be telltale signs that a business owner is not comfortable selling their product or business. It will show itself with an upset stomach or unexplained headaches and other psychosomatic responses to stress. They may also appear fidgety or sweat profusely because they are nervous about convincing others to buy from them. Profits are not the goal, but because you believe in your product or service, you will naturally sell them.
Getting Employees Involved
Even if you believe in your product or service, your employees need to believe in your product or service too. It helps them to identify with the bigger picture. They are more likely to work harder when they are proud of the company they work for. Having several meetings, taking input on how better to conduct business and having office parties is a good way to get people excited, but to make a difference, employees need to understand how their part makes a difference for the company as a whole and how that difference plays a part in the bigger picture.
Changing the World
This concept is also known as conducting business with a higher purpose. So, you love what you do, you believe in your product or service, and all of your employees are on-board, but have you thought of how this is making the world a better place? Any business that is not focused on making the world a better place will place “profits over people”, and this is where lawsuits, pollution and disaster comes from. Putting people ahead of profits will naturally create greater profits as well. People are proud to frequent businesses that have their best interests at heart. We’ve seen customers boycott stores with unethical practices, and we’ve seen customers give additional business to companies who make a difference in the community.
Profits don’t make a business great. A great business makes profits because profits are a natural consequence to putting people first. Businesses must be able to impact people’s lives for the better to succeed.
