When the Love is Gone

I was flipping through a magazine recently when the title of an article caught my eye. It said, “Do You Love Your Business?” My initial thought was, what a silly question, who doesn’t love their business? Then I started to think, that number is probably much larger than I think!

It dawned on me that although there are a handful of people that wake up giddy about their business every day and wouldn’t trade anything about it, they are most likely the minority. For something you spend so much time, and sacrifice on, you ought to love it or why bother, right? For some it may not be quite so cut and dry. So why wouldn’t someone love their business?

Quick Cash
Some people start their business focused on the money. They hear a pitch that they will make fast cash by following a certain business model. They know they need the money and what is being proposed to them sounds fairly easy to do so they jump in. Once they’re in business for awhile they realize one of two things: 1. It’s not as easy to make money as they were led to believe 2. They are making decent money but are incredibly bored or unfulfilled. They think they will look like a failure if they quit, so they stick with it regardless of how miserable they feel.

Inherited Headache
Another reason for not loving a business is inheriting it. Now, while some people can’t wait to take over the family business because it’s all they’ve ever known and they want to carry on a legacy, others don’t share that passion. They might inherit a business from a parent or relative and are designated as the “chosen one” to carry it on. Meanwhile their dreams lie in a completely different direction. They find themselves choosing family loyalty over pursuing their own passion and soon become bitter and resentful because of it.

Wasn’t What I Thought
Some people go into a certain business thinking it is what they’ve always wanted to do and they are gung-ho about it for a time and then quickly burn out. They aren’t seeing the return for their efforts or they feel that they didn’t realize exactly what would be involved in making the business work. They find themselves exhausted wondering why they ever thought this would be enjoyable.

So what do you do when you find yourself in one of these scenarios or another situation where you are in business but feeling miserable and trapped? Fix it!

Excuse: “but in this economy I’m just lucky to have a business that is making money at all. I can’t change now”. Solution: Well, just because the economy is not so good right now and you want to keep the security of a stable business, it doesn’t mean you can’t plan for something new! Start thinking about what it is about your business you don’t like and whether it’s even the right business for you. It might only need some minor tweaks to make it everything you dreamed of. On the other hand it might not be for you at all and when the time is right you can launch something new. Start planning now. Write down what you’d really like to be doing and write down everything you envision about that new opportunity. Begin moving toward that goal while you’re still in your current business and eventually you can sell your business or phase it out to pursue something new.

Excuse: “I’d like to start something new, but I don’t really want to let go of the other business because it does well for me.” Solution: Nobody said you have to give up one for the other! If you can’t run both businesses what about hiring a business manager or another trusted professional to run the operations of business A so you can focus on building business B? There are many people who have multiple businesses and of course one person cannot possibly do everything in that situation. Having the right team in place could mean the difference between misery and elation when it comes to business.

Excuse: “I’m not sure exactly what I want to do.” Solution: Figure it out! Make a list of the things that light you up. That you get so excited about you can’t sleep at night. These are major clues as to what you should be doing in your business. If one of the things on your list doesn’t hit you over the head as an obvious choice, think about how you might be able to take one of those concepts and work it into something that is a viable business option. If none of the things on your list strike you as something you could see yourself doing day in and day out, then let the list rest and come back to it or add to it as you think of something. The last thing you want to do is pick something just to start a business. It is so important that you are going to love it or you are going to end up back in the same boat you’re already in.

The bottom line is, if you’re not happy in your business find a way to change it. It might be as simple as making a few adjustments to your systems or evolving your business into something bigger, better and totally different. Or you might go on to something else altogether. Life is much too short to be unhappy with what you’re doing. Isn’t that why you went into business to begin with? To have the life you wanted and to do what you love? Find out what’s stopping you from doing just that and figure out a way to change it so you can live your dreams.