Is Your Dream Big Enough?

His Business Was Growing Well

A few years ago I met a man who wanted to build up his small business model.  I was introduced to this owner through another business associate.  The owner who wanted to build his model up was serious about building his business up enough to provide a better lifestyle for his family than they were experiencing at the moment I met him.  We worked on getting to know each other in the beginning.  His business was actually growing well when I met him.  He was also very careful in how much he was spending in order to produce the growth he was managing.  I was quietly impressed with how well he was doing.

It was clear that he wanted a bigger business to manage.  The more we worked together on building his business stronger the more I could see what really would begin to happen.  Due to his style of management I could see the future of his work load getting so strong it would eventually become the tail that wags the dog.  His skills to build it big were somewhat good.  His skills to delegate the increased work load was on the low side of the management ledger.  His ability to organize his energy and functions was also on the low side of the management ledger.  I could see this combination of weaknesses taking its toll on his limited time chips and his positive spirit for managing a larger business successfully.

I had no right to interfere with his drive.  I was not about to become his dream stealer.  Even though I could see an eventual emotional crash coming in the months ahead, I was not going to be responsible for killing his dream.  I decided I was going to find out what kind of dream he was running on in order to help him overcome the obstacles that were headed his way later.  A combination of his current business building actions were able to help him produce a growing business.  Even so, the limitations for getting beyond what he could produce in a 24-hour period were fast approaching.  He would eventually need to develop some new management skills in order to change how he was approaching his business growth.

Everyone comes to the table with certain skills that are magical to possess.  This associate had some very good skills for attracting new growth.  He also had good skills for keeping new growth longer than what a usual business provides.  His repeat business was fairly good.  He lacked the needed talent for providing the best organizational skills to secure the activities that were driving his business growth.  Some of his follow-up duties were leaving his business model vulnerable to loss.  He was like many other well-driven business owners.  He had a very strong ego that was heavy on protecting how he was building his business model.  His protection efforts were strong and also dangerous.  They were dangerous in that they were primarily sub-conscious in nature.  He was very quick to react to any suggestions or changes that indicated some efforts needed to be given to sort out the organizational weaknesses of the business model he was building.  He could not see how those weaknesses could hurt his growth.  As a result, he turned up his strengths and produced more growth by increasing the use of his better skills.  He was mentally strong like so many business owners are.

I decided to find out what his dream really was.  Everyone runs on a dream to achieve something from what they are doing.  Some dreams are subtle and fuzzy while others are loud and clear.  I knew that this business owner would eventually be tested to save his business from choking itself.  I knew he was not about to believe his business could experience that kind of challenge.  I knew he was not working to develop a team of associates that could help him manage the organizational responsibilities this growing business was beginning to face.  I knew he would soon be facing some very crucial needs to change the approach he was using for developing his business model.  I was convinced he was not aware of this pending development.

I wanted to see how big his dream was.  I wanted to know if his dream was big enough to help him through what he was about to be facing in his business model of unorganized growth.  Is his dream big enough?

Learn How To Catch A Big Dream

I decided to find out how big of a dream he was using to build this business model.  His long term success would be governed by how much endurance he would be able to provide while his business worked on changing his unorganized methods of operations.  He would fight or flight depending upon how much his drive was willing to take.  Our business models will govern us.  We may believe we are in charge of our business models.  We are not.  If the model is building itself larger and larger, it is taking on some new dynamics that grow into something we have nothing to do with.  The business model takes on a life all of its own.  When the model reaches a certain size it begins to develop some interesting personalities.  Managing those growing dynamics and personalities well is crucial for the model to succeed long term.  These types of growing pains will test an owners spirit.  If managed poorly, they will destroy his business growth.

I asked my associate what his dream was for building the business he was managing.  He thought about it for less than two seconds.  His answer was immediate.  He wanted to make sure his son was able to buy a Harley Davidson motorcycle with cash.  He wanted to make sure his son was able to have that motorcycle tricked out anyway his son wanted to design it to be.  He wanted to be able to earn enough extra money from his business while providing his own lifestyle expenses to be able to give his son the extra cash to make that dream come true.

I waited for a long time before I spoke again.  He described so many things that he wanted his son to do.  The motorcycle was the highest dream with the most passion attached.  When he arrived to a point in the conversation where he stopped describing that dream, I stepped in.  I asked him quietly and with a slow and calm question, "What if your son decides he does not want a motorcycle anymore?"  His response was predictable.  He said, "Oh, he wants that bike alright!"  "He has wanted it forever," he continued.  I replied, "You did not hear me the first time.  I asked you what would happen to your dream if your son chooses to change his desires?"  "What if he changes his mind, falls in love with a student from the UK and decides he wants to go to Europe and live permanently with her?  Are you going to fund that dream?  Maybe he will rent scooters, instead."

He said, "What are you driving at?"  I said this, "Let's start making your dream become a process that you control.  Your dream should not become what someone else considers to be their dream.  It is perfectly fine for you to have your own dreams.  I think you need to develop a dream of your own.  The dream you use to drive your will should have nothing to do with how someone else runs their dreams.  When you adopt someone's dreams to borrow as you work to supply your driven needs to build this business, you inadvertently place your will at great risk for failure to occur.  Every business owner will be faced with the need to overcome some very large obstacles.  Most of those obstacles will attack our personalities.  Our self worth will be tested and some changes in how we behave will be forced to occur.  Those types of tests will kill our spirit to go on.  We will need to tap into our dreams to help us overcome that kind of personal testing.  Our dreams are many times the reason why we do the unthinkable stuff that drives us over the top of some heavy laden mountains of challenges.  If your dream is of the big kind, you can usually handle big challenges.  If your dream is too small, little challenges will not be able to be managed very well.  You will give up too soon.  Furthermore, if your dream is not able to be a dream you control, you are placing your drive to overcome obstacles at great risk.  You need a dream you can control and manage.  That motorcycle is your son's responsibility, not yours.  It should never be your dream.  What if he changes his mind?  Did you fail at producing your dream?"

It was very quiet for a very long time.

Make sure your dream is something big enough to help you over come what challenges your business will be facing.  You will face some very large challenges.  Your dream will help you to develop the courage and endurance to mature, grow and change.  Those practices are part of building a big business.  If you doubt these truths you will discover how real they can become.  It is not always the best models that win big.  It is often the toughest ones that win big.  Good minds with good models fail every day.  They lack the stuff it takes to overcome the obstacles that customarily arrive.  A big dream will go a long way in helping an owner to develop the courage to overcome what needs to be done, especially when all signs point to quitting.

Is your dream big enough?

By the way, he did not change his ways.  He was stubborn enough to stay the course he was working to manage.  Three years later, his business folded up and closed its doors.  I have watched many great business builders fail.  Pay close attention to what you are doing and how you will eventually need to change.  Be prepared to tackle those tough decisions when they arrive.  They will burst your bubbles and destroy your self worth.  You will need a big dream to help see you through it all.

Until next time...