Module #1 Start With Why

Get out a pen and paper or open up a Word Doc and get ready to think! You can also use the takeaway sheet attached to this module. This part is all about what led you to this point. Most people think of business planning, finance, sales, marketing, and management as the first steps.

I would argue that these are not the first steps! Let's start with why.

A company’s mission statement—also known as a vision statement—is an expression of its core values and its purpose. These 4 things that will help you think about the best way to build yours.

WHY do you want to start a business, or if you are in business, why do you keep it going? This is the question you should ask yourself before moving forward with your plans.

I need to do this in my life all the time! Not because I don't believe in myself, but because we as business owners need to have a constant reminder of our reasons. This will only help you be better at what you do. 

Don't overthink it; all you need is a mission statement! Personally, this is my favorite part of starting a business. When talking to people, I am reminded of why I love what I do; you can learn so much from talking honestly with yourself and being focused on why you are doing this.

There are three simple, vital factors to consider when crafting a business statement or mission statement. Or, as I call it, your Why!

WHAT motivates you? Is there something that makes you get up in the morning? Does anything keep you wanting to build your business? Maybe it's just your story.

“My story is that in 2011 a truck fire almost took my life, and after several years of health struggles, my business was born.”

The best way to get started in business is to learn what drives you.

HOW did you come up with your idea? Is this something you have done for a long time?

Have you created the next amazing product?

A great example would be a company that has never sold online but has only sold in a retail store. You already have a product or service, and you just need to get online. The question is, how did you get to this point. You can't get where you want to go unless you acknowledge where you have been.

Keep in mind that several paths might have led you to this point. You can list them all out and craft your perfect vision if you would like. Most people will have one specific thing to point to that brought them here or how they decided to start their own business.

Don't spend a lot of time on memory lane because the future awaits you, and you are going somewhere.

WHERE do you plan to go? Do you want to give a portion of your earnings to a charity helping others or something people should know?

You can also add anything you find to be part of your vision statement—for example, crafting your plans for the future with things that are true to you. Don't make up something you don't honestly believe or try to copy what someone else does; that won't benefit anyone.

Is there something big you plan to achieve that might play a more significant role in your goals moving forward?

Now that you have a few ideas on crafting the perfect mission statement for your business, you can start working on it! It may take some time to make it perfect but stay true to your plans for your business.

This is a list of a few more things you can look at.

Shopify Writing Your Mission Statement for a website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idgDbiq9N0E

Keeping up with your big vision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqSSN42gjb0

Need a simple plan? 4 Key Questions Every Mission Statement Should Answer:

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-an-effective-mission-statement-in-3-steps#why-does-a-good-mission-statement-achieve

Are you the type of person that needs to plan out everything? If you can answer yes, then think about this for a minute. You can't plan everything. When it comes to business, there will be things that happen you can't plan for. You can plan contingencies, safety stock, emergency funds, and all of the things you need to succeed, but don't feel trapped. 

I have seen so many people get stressed out and fail just because they can't control everything in their business. Don't let that happen to you, and find a happy place if you find yourself in this situation.

Maybe you said no, I do not need to plan it all out! Then you need to get some help in your planning or learn to plan a little better, take classes or take time to learn. You can use technology to help make a list of what needs to be done on a daily and weekly basis.

The opposite side of not planning is buying too much inventory, not paying bills on time, and forgetting to do things that can be detrimental to your business. Consider finding a good bookkeeper right away if you are concerned about being too disorganized.

It may take you some time to figure out how to manage your day-to-day tasks.

This is a small list of things to consider for starting your own business. Don't get overwhelmed. Each step will take time, but you will start feeling like things are moving in the right direction in a few weeks.

There is also free help out there to get you started.

You can get a mentor for free with Score. If you haven't heard of Score, it's a great organization to find a free mentor. Keep in mind you might need a few mentors to help you get off the ground. 

https://www.score.org/resource/business-plan-template-startup-business

This is a list of the first things I recommend you consider as your first steps. Don't get overwhelmed, “slow and steady wins the race”, as they say.

• Select a name that fits your business
• Obtain your Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Open the Company Bank Account
• Obtain Licenses or Permits if needed for your business
• Write a Business Plan - Need help writing a business plan?

There are a few great resources with the SBA.

https://www.sba.gov/starting-business/write-your-business-plan%20

You might not have time to complete your business plan before you start selling, but at least set some goals to get started. You can also craft your plan as you go, depending on your level of experience and risk. Keep in mind that you don't have to follow a playbook to be successful.

Over the years, I have tried to do things my own way; I did the best I could. It wasn't until a few years ago I learned what my strengths really were. Clifton's Strengths Assessment helped me understand myself, my team, and even my wife better.

This is not a required part of completing the course, but we think you will find tremendous value in watching it.

There are a lot of gurus out there, who insist that their way is the best way to complete a task and influence people to sell more products. Strengths' goal is to help people combine proven success principles from the training provided by others, and their infinitely unique Strengths so they can have results and JOY. Many people focus on the results of their business but lack the joy.

Unleash Your Strengths is a personality assessment that takes 34 unique talents and based on the assessment you take it will sort and place the talents from 1 to 34. It then creates a report that proves you are infinitely unique. 

As an entrepreneur, you may be thinking "How can this help me?". The report shows what strengths are high energy for you, neutral, and negative energy.

In the process of answering the Strengths assessment, when you choose to highly agree or disagree with prompts, it will place those strengths on high energy or low energy. 

There are four domains that have a dominant desire. These domains include relationship building, influencing, executing, and strategic thinking.

As you build your eCommerce business, make sure you do everything that honors your desire to do one of the four domains. Any domain that has 3 or more strengths from your top 10 you're going to feel that energy that says you need it to be a part of your routine.

If you are a dominant relationship builder, and you're building an eCommerce business by yourself you may feel depleted. You may feel like you need to surround yourself with others to complete this process.

If you're a dominant influencer you need to make sure the products you sell and the way you sell effectively moves people forward and makes their life better and your life better.

Executing means that you are very focused on processes. Focused on making sure your processes are done effectively and productively. 

Strategic thinking could mean that your product honors the desire to be creative. It educates and helps others, or there are strategies and ideas behind the product.

This is a reminder that you are infinitely unique.

There are 7.7 billion people in the world, and the odds that someone has the same top 5 Strengths that you would have, is 1 in 280,000.

Everything that you do gets to be done YOUR way.

If you want to get your eCommerce business off to a great start, know what your strengths are, what you're good at, what things you may need to outsource, and what things you can do to honor your Strengths in EVERYTHING you do. 

This is only an introduction to what Strengths can offer you!

For a copy of the book: http://www.Unleashyourstrengths.net

To get your Gallup Strengths Assessment: http://www.Unleashyourstrengths.com/test