Description
In collaboration with Nico Oud BV - We have lost sight of what success really is, says Sprout expert Nico Oud. He explains how to set goals based on your personal values. "I was building a company for the outside world."Many entrepreneurs are in the process of becoming successful. They want to build a successful business, grow quickly and conquer the market. But more and more entrepreneurs lose sight of what success really is.
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Because more and more entrepreneurs are unhappy with their current situation or even hiccup against a burnout. They feel as if they have something to prove to society and the people around them as an entrepreneur.
As a business coach, I visited more than 300 different entrepreneurs in 2019 and the vast majority of those entrepreneurs wanted to achieve rapid growth and expand the team. Even the self-employed thought it was time to hire staff.But in the first 90 minutes of talking to them, growing and expanding turned out to be just a Pavlov reaction. There is more work than I can handle, so I want to grow. Or even entrepreneurs who felt they were not successful enough because they wanted more.
Success is not what others think of you
I myself once fell into a trap. Build a company quickly, hire a lot of people and conquer the market as quickly as possible. And when I started to gain traction with my company and now had 18 people working, I started to get unhappy.I was building a company for the outside world
I was building a company for the outside world. I didn't want a big company at all. That didn't (and still doesn't) suit me. I enjoyed the family atmosphere we had when we were a group of 6 or 7. It was cosy, well-arranged and there was relatively little pressure to get work done.
But my ego got in the way and I thought we should grow to a team of 40 and 3 million turnover within a few years. And that is the course I took only to later have to conclude that this was no longer the company I loved so much. Finally I decided to sell my shares and build something new.
Now, 5 years later, I see where it went wrong. I didn't build a business for myself. I built a business to be successful. Successful according to the 'general' concept of success. Many people employed, impressive turnover, beautiful office building, etc. But that, I now know, was not what success meant to me.
Success by your own definition
When I started again, after selling my first desk, I decided to look for my own definition of success. A difficult process, in which I tried to filter out my externally focused motivation and my ego to arrive at my own definition of success.
This was an extremely difficult process. Because deep down I've always had the urge to prove to people that I had what they expect of me in me. And if I'm being honest, I still find that sometimes difficult. Fortunately, journaling helps me to stay close to myself and not lose sight of my own definition of success. Read here about how I keep a business journal.
I now have a company that makes me happy. I get to spend all day sparring with enthusiastic entrepreneurs about achieving their goals. I am free during all school holidays so that I can spend time with my family and every Wednesday I have time for myself.
That is my definition of success. Possibly not yours and certainly not those of well-known hustlers, such as Gary Vaynerchuk and Grant Cardone. But I now know that everyone has their own definition of success. And that's allowed.
Determine what your definition of success is
Contrary to what many people think, success does not start with a goal, but with your personal values. And you supplement those personal values with personal boundaries. And only then will you define goals.
In my blog about successful business I describe the process in more detail, but here are the three steps you can take to arrive at your own definition of success:
1. Determine your personal values
You can see your personal values as your life compass. Your values are a reflection of what you value in life and who you want to be in life. For me, family, freedom, autonomy and added value are important values.
2. Personal boundaries
Your personal limits determine the playing field within which you want to be successful. Usually boundaries are a translation of your personal values into practice. One of my limits is that I don't want to work during the school holidays and rarely plan a business appointment in the evening. This stems from my most important value, my family.
3. Set goals
Now that you know your personal values and boundaries, you can start thinking about your goals. In this step it is important that you put your ego aside and let yourself be guided by what you want. And know that goals may be selfish. Pursuing prosperity and wealth is not wrong, as long as it brings you closer to your values ;D.
Success is progress
I want to give you one more tip. Your goals can be quite ambitious and even on the verge of achievable. Many people underestimate what they can achieve in a lifetime career.The biggest pitfall with goal-oriented entrepreneurship is that many people are fixated on achieving the goal itself. But the happiness is not in achieving the goal. On the contrary. Many entrepreneurs fall into a black hole when they reach their long-cherished goal.
No, luck is in the way to the goal.
I remember well how I dreamed about that magical 100,000 euros annual turnover and later that 500,000 euros and even a million. The moment when I reached those milestones passed quietly, while I was busy running the business. I can't even remember those moments.
What I can vividly remember is the way there. That invincible feeling when you had overcome another huge obstacle. The memories with the team. How we were having lunch together and casually chatting about the weekend and the developments in the market.
My advice to you
Make sure you know what success means to you, guard your limits, set goals and then focus on progress towards your goals. With your own definition of success you are one step closer to a successful and happy life.