In order to grow your business, or to reach a goal, you need to have
reasons that motivate you to succeed. Without a cause, you’re more
likely to quit as the first sign of trouble.
Besides having a passion to build your business (which is what
motivated me to build MOBE) there are a number of things that can
positively affect your motivation to build a successful business:
1. Your Upbringing
If you’re hoping that your own business will bring you financial
freedom, then chances are you haven’t had a financially privileged
upbringing; meaning that your comparatively modest childhood could prove
to be a motivating factor for you to succeed today.
One of the reasons why I’ve been able to build a financially
successful company is because I’ve learned the importance of money,
thanks to my upbringing. I was raised on a farm in rural Australia and
was always determined to do well because of the financial difficulties
that my family had.
In fact, for my tenth birthday I asked for $500 rather than a
motorbike (which my brothers received). When asked what I wanted to do
with the money, I told them I wanted to invest it in a small mining
company.
When you’re struggling to motivate yourself to keep your company
running, you should recall those times when you had little money and
success. Those memories could help you remember why you began to chase
after success and financial freedom, and keep you from quitting.
2. Appreciate the Benefits of Success
It’s not uncommon to hear people say, “Money can’t buy you
happiness.” As true as that may be, becoming successful and having
financial freedom can make your life much easier. Once you appreciate
the benefits of such success, you’ll be highly motivated to achieve
results in your business.
There was a time when I struggled to pay the rent. If I had enough
money, I would have been able to afford the necessities of life without
stress. And having stressful thoughts can cause a lack of productivity.
3. Get Inspired
When I was young, I used to watch a show called Money. I remember one episode where two kids used their creativity to sell confectionary snakes.
Having been inspired by that, I set up a roadside potato stall called
“Spuds 4 Sale” with my brother and sold bags of potatoes to passing
traffic.
If I can be inspired as a child watching such shows, there’s no
reason why you can’t do the same. Read inspirational stories of
successful entrepreneurs and see what it took for them to reach the
levels of success they enjoy today.
An article on Entrepreneur discusses the example of Karen Hoxmeier, a
34-year-old struggling mother with only a high school education. She
was a bargain hunter by nature (due to her background and circumstance;
see point 1 above) and taught herself how to use a computer.
Hoxmeier became a regular online shopper and soon realized she had a
knack for uncovering the latest discounts and offers. A couple of months
later she created her own website, Mybargainbuddy.com. The
California-based business generated over $3 million in sales as an
affiliate marketing site last year.
According to Hoxmeier, money was always her motivation to succeed, but not in the superficial way: “Most
people think entrepreneurs are primarily motivated by making money—for
me, the twist on the story is that I derive my business power from
knowing that I am helping people save money. My mom was very young when
she had children and soon found herself on her own. She didn’t have a
lot of education and had to work at whatever she could to feed us. Early
on I was determined that I would give my kids a better life.”
4. Frugality Pays Off
Throughout my early educational years, I always kept learning about
business and how to run one. In fact, for as long as I can remember,
I’ve always wanted to become an entrepreneur.
During my college years, I started a number of small businesses,
including mowing lawns for $15 an hour. I saved every dollar I earned
from these businesses for about 4 years and managed to save about
$50,000. Most college students were talking about how broke they were,
but since I was frugal with my money (as bad as that may sound), I was
financially content and able to afford the things I needed.
Save as much money as you can and use that extra cash to pump back
into your business for things like advertising, brand development,
traffic generation, etc. I’m fortunate in the sense that I’m not really a
materialistic guy, making it a little easier to live within my means.
Having such a disposition is in fact good for business. My frugality
allowed me to reinvest my money into an online marketing business and
thankfully MOBE has benefited from that.
Final Thoughts
Once you’ve managed to run a successful business, you need to keep
the motivation and desire alive in order to scale. I personally use the
fact that I have a responsibility to MOBE consultants’ and employees’
livelihoods as a motivating factor. Remember, as a business owner you
are in charge of a number of people, so you should strive to keep
growing your business.
The main thing that keeps me going and reinforces my drive to succeed is the question: “How can MOBE be better?” If you always look for ways to grow and scale your business, you’ll automatically be motivated to work hard.
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