Define Success for Yourself

Before considering business ownership, give thought to your goals

Everyone admires it and strives for it, but what exactly defines success depends on who you ask. So when you want to start your own business, first you have to decide what you mean by success.

Success is Different Things to Different People
Not only are there different kinds of success — think Wall Street Banker with a seven-figure income or self-employed dog walker with the freedom to set his or her own schedule — there are also different levels of success, such as gaining entry into the top 1 percent of earners or fulfilling a dream to become a teacher, helping students with special needs. Each can be as satisfying and validating as the next.

Like beauty, the definition of success really is in the eye of the beholder.

The hardest part of all may be deciding what works for you because if you start down a path but take no satisfaction from your promotions or fattening paycheck and only daydream about hobbies left unexplored, you won’t feel successful.

When you seize an opportunity to start your own business and take charge of your career, you have the ability to carve out the perfect future for yourself.

Find a Business that Can Help Your Attain Your Version of Success
So as you consider your options, such as starting a new business, buying an existing business or a franchise, which comes with a track-record for success, as well as its own operating manual, ask yourself what you mean by success.

Rank these qualities of success in order of importance for you. Is success:
* Getting rich?
* Having enough money to buy a house?
* Having a job that you love?
* The ability to send your children to college?
* Having the time to give back to your community?
* Having a spiritual life, full of exploration and learning?
* Combining the goals of your life and your career, which may mean working in health care or education?
* Making a contribution to a goal larger than yourself, such as making the world a better place?
* Feeling self-worth?
* Being happy?

The list represents a continuum, from goals most associated with money to those completely disconnected from income. Which end are you on?

Once you decide exactly what you want, your search for a business you can call your own will be that much easier because you will know more about the life you desire.