A thought occurred to me…
What is a business, and how do you know when you have one?
Back story….
I heard Eckhart Tolle (author of The Power of Now) say something to the effect of: “What is a room? Is it 4 walls, a floor, and a ceiling? No, you look at a wall, and it’s just a wall. A floor and ceiling isn’t a room either.
When you put them together, how do you know you have a room, and not a large box, a prison cell, or something else? Is it when you add furniture? No, because a couch is a couch, it’s not a room. These are all things that point to what a room is, but none of them is the actual room.”*
*Definitely paraphrasing here
If you’ve never read any Eckhart Tolle or heard him speak, make it happen.
So back to the story. My understanding of what Mr. Tolle says about the room is that what makes a room is the possibility of what a room could be. So it’s the memories and events that occurred there, and the events that could happen in the future, and the emotions tied around all those things. That makes up a room more than anything it’s composed.
So a room is actually more real in our minds than it is in the physical world because of the possibilities of what it could be, which is what a room really is and not of the things that comprise it physically.
Is your business your LLC, operating agreement, or business bank account. Is it your client list? I don’t think it’s any of that.
I think it’s like the room; a business is the possibilities of the things you could create, the impact you can have on your life and others’ lives, the change you could lead, the people you can inspire, the lifestyle you create for yourself and your family, plus the roller coaster of emotions, desire, drive, and all kinds of positive qualities that help create and maintain a business.
Imagine hearing someone talk about their business without mentioning any of those things above. Is that a business worth having? Is that a business that’s going to succeed?
When you create a business of possibility, how can you NOT succeed? People believe in possibility. People want to see possibility take form in reality, whether that be your employees, suppliers, friends, network etc.