Published July 2002

Begin path of biz ownership by asking ‘why’

Working on our business is really a metaphor for working on our life. Most of us are drawn to the lure of entrepreneurship because life “situations” have given us little choice. The “system” doesn’t seem to be working for us anymore. We have been laid-off, outsourced, downsized, right-sized, displaced, misplaced or just out of place.

The industry refers to these potential entrepreneurs as “refugees,” or people escaping their current reality for the mythology of small business.

Why do we say mythology? Because many of us buy into the “promise” of success and the myths that: I’ll be my own boss; I have nothing left to lose; I’ll be doing the work that I love and the money will follow; I will get rich fast; I can spend more time with my family, etc.

A myth is a real or fictional story that forms a part of the ideology of a group or society. In a sense, it’s a half-truth. There may be some level of “truth” in your dream of owning your own business, but understanding your motivation is the first step in gaining clarity in your business.

Joseph Campbell tells us that “a proper myth must carry us through all the stages of life, from infancy to maturity.”

If we apply the same life cycles to business cycles (there are many similar stages), small-business mythology is inadequate because there is such a high failure rate. The U.S. Small Business Administration records that 80 percent (or more) of start-ups will fail within the first three years. From the successful 20 percent that make it to year five, 80 percent of those will fail by the 10th year.

So what can be done?

We can begin by listening to the wise words of Albert Einstein, who tells us that doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results is the real definition of insanity.

We can begin by learning how to “do differently.” Instead of jumping into the new venture asking, “How do I do this?” ask, “WHY am I doing this?” The core questions to gaining clarity in your business are:

• Why am I doing this? — Finding motivation and exploring mythology.
• What am I trying to do? — Exploring vision, mission and objectives.
• What do I need? — Establishing strategies.
• Whom do I know? — Building relationships and networks.

Very rarely do people take the time to ask themselves these vital questions. They launch directly into the planning phase of building a business by asking, “How am I going to do this?” Or they bypass all these questions and “just do it,” only to find themselves in unrecoverable and desperate situations.

If we can realize that starting a business is an act of self-expression and that we are using entrepreneurship as a path to self-discovery, we can then design a business to fit our unique needs. The journey will not be dependent on a success/failure formula, but will assist us toward our path of personal fulfillment.

Jamie Curtismith is Director of the Northwest Women’s Business Center.

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