Finding Your Entrepreneurial Purpose
Finding Your Entrepreneurial Purpose
By Samantha Garner, GoForth Institute
You had a great small business idea and want to turn it into a small business. That’s great – but what is your entrepreneurial purpose? How does it differ from the purpose of your business itself?
In a 1985 conference, educator and author Joanna Macy talked about three directions in which to look for your own purpose. Examine each of these three directions and see how they apply to your goals and vision as an entrepreneur.
1) Work With Your Passion
Would you run your small business for free? You shouldn’t have to, but do you love what you do? An estimated 15% of new business ideas are related to the entrepreneur’s hobby and it’s easy to see why. Doing something you love all day, every day, is unlikely to become tedious or frustrating. It’s also easier to weather the ups and downs of entrepreneurship if you have a passion for your small business.
Take stock of your small business idea before you jump in, though. You may know a lot about your hobby, but it’s a much different game when it becomes a business. Be sure to get all the small business training you can to give your new venture the best foundation for success.
2) Work With Your Pain
What about the world or the human experience touches you? What about the world would you change if you could? Like passion, working with your pain can involve creating a small business around the concept of making the world a better place.
Someone who starts a small business in order to provide solutions to social issues are often called social entrepreneurs, non-profit entrepreneurs or philanthropist entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurs have found a way to balance starting a small business and contributing to the greater good of the community. The results can be infinitely rewarding.
3) Work With What's At Hand
Necessity is the mother of invention, but this invention doesn’t need to rock the world. Starting a small business with what is at hand can be a small, yet impactful pathway into entrepreneurship. What small ways to make change have crossed your mind? How can you start a small business to respond to vital yet everyday needs in your community?
You don’t need a flashy angle or gimmicky grand opening. Some of the most satisfying small businesses are those that work with what is at hand – think tutoring, meal delivery to house-bound seniors or a recreational centre for local teens. How can you use your small business to serve the everyday needs of your community?
Samantha Garner is GoForth Institute’s Director, Communications. Contact Samantha by email: samantha@goforthinstitute.com
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