Passion is the business owner’s strong medicine against frustration. When you start a company you put yourself into a special league- you are an entrepreneur. When you decide to grow your company you are in even more rare company; as a business builder, you must confront the challenges of making your vision of your future a reality.
Lots of people play sports but most stay amateurs and enjoy a sport where everyone knows the game- be it golf, bridge, football etc. But when you commit to grow a company, you commit to design your own game, create your own rules, mold a team, and be your own referee- to keep score with honest evaluation of your progress against visionary goals. Pursuit of your vision gives your life more meaning and a sense of purpose. Perhaps that’s why challenges to your vision are emotionally impactful.
When you operate from a stance that your company has the potential of a really big future, it can be frustrating. Each setback is personal, palpable and quantifiable; you lose the opportunity to serve a customer; you miss a profit goal; you don’t have cash to invest in infrastructure to prepare for tomorrow.
While most entrepreneurs believe that lack of money is their biggest hurdle holding them back, let me tell you what I’ve learned as a serial entrepreneur and undercover Wall Street investment banker: the biggest hurdle for business builders is not sharing your passion.
Just like playing football, when you have possession of the ball, you control the plays and momentum works to your advantage. It’s easy for the team to be operating “in the zone”. Sure fans follow their favorite teams regularly, but attendance goes up during the playoffs, the World Series, America’s cup, Wimbledon, the Masters Tournament. Why? It’s a shared experience of winning big. It’s passion of a vision. Get people rooting for you. In business, customers and investors like to play to win too: they are attracted to passion of a vision and the opportunity to play a big game.
There is currency in your passion. When you tap the currency in your passion you will discover more funding sources than you ever imagined possible; not just investors, but non-equity sources limited only by your creativity. When you pursue your passion, your growing company represents an appreciating currency. Economic self-sufficiency for a business builder means taping the currency in your passion and sharing the FUN of why you are building your business.
Passion is the business owner’s antidote to frustration. Now that you know you can get cash to fuel your vision, what will you allow yourself to do with your passion? Entrepreneurship is a wasting asset, unless you capitalize on it NOW. And it’s FUN!
Stefania Aulicino is founder president of CapitalLInkUSA. For 20 years Stefania has helped business builders uncover the right capital for their optimum growth strategy so you get cash and keep control to build the business you really want. www.CapitalLinkUSA.com
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