What Does Success Look Like for You as a Business Owner?
Every day, business owners face decisions that shape the future of their companies. But before you can make the best choices, you need to know what you’re aiming for. Is your goal to increase your income, free up more personal time, or build a team you trust to handle things when you’re away? Without a clear destination, it’s easy to lose direction and feel stuck.
Your Two Whys: The Heart of Your Business
Everyone who starts a business has two core reasons or “whys” that drive them. The first is your altruistic why: the desire to help others, make a difference, or solve a problem in the world. The second is your selfish why: the personal benefit you gain, whether that’s financial security, independence, or the satisfaction of building something of your own.
Both whys matter. Your altruistic why gives your work meaning and helps you connect with your customers and team. Your selfish why keeps you motivated, especially when things get tough. Recognizing both helps you create a business that’s rewarding on every level.
Define Success on Your Own Terms
Success isn’t the same for everyone. Some business owners want to grow profits and expand their reach. Others are looking for more freedom, flexibility, or personal fulfillment. Your definition of success might be a mix of these goals.
Ask yourself:
- Is it more money?
Are you aiming to grow profits, increase your personal income, or invest back into your business? - Is it more time?
Do you want your business to give you the flexibility to enjoy life outside of work? - Is it something else?
Maybe it’s about building a legacy, creating jobs, or making an impact in your community.
Build a Clear Path Toward Your Success
Once you know your whys and what success means to you, planning becomes much easier. You can organize your company, clarify roles, and develop processes that support your goals. When your team understands their responsibilities and your managers are empowered to lead, the day-to-day headaches start to fade.
Clarity isn’t just good for your business—it’s good for you, too. It helps you make decisions confidently and keeps you connected to the reasons you started your business in the first place.
Take the Next Step
If you’re not sure what success looks like for you, know that you aren’t alone. I have an exercise that helps you walk through defining success, creating “bumbers” to guide you in every decision you make. Reply to this email and I’ll send you the exercise to complete.
Ways to Work Together
If you are feeling trapped in your business and not experiencing the freedom you want, here are the two ways we can work together.
Clarity Call: Ready to build a business that gives you true freedom? I create custom solutions tailored to your industry, goals, and vision of success—so you can love your business again. Click above to schedule a call to clarify your goals, tackle roadblocks, and see how we can work together.
Business Roadmap: This is for business owners who want clear, actionable next steps—not another generic course. Get a plan tailored to your business, clarity on what matters, and the resources to move forward. Walk away knowing exactly what to do—and what to ignore—so you can save time, money, and avoid years of frustration.
A third way, and I know I only said two, but sometimes I can’t help myself. If you are feeling stuck and are in need of resources, reach out. I am happy to point you in the right direction and even provide an asset of my own to help you move forward.
Stephanie German is a business strategist, adjunct professor, and speaker. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and loves giving back to her community in a variety of ways. When she’s not coaching clients or writing about leadership, Stephanie is usually headed to the mountains or the beach with her family, drinking savory wine, or working on the latest project with her husband. Stephanie’s greatest desires are to raise up the next generation of leaders while raising her own children to be strong, independent, and brave. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband Blake and her three spunky daughters, Cara, Kinsey, and Peyton. She is the best-selling author of So Your Boss Can’t Lead?
I strategically help business owners develop their leadership competencies, implement ways to be more strategic to increase revenue, develop workflows that affect the bottom line, and create work-life integration so they live a life they love. Set up a free 15-minute consult. Click Here.
Own a business? Sign up for your own First Steps Appointment where we can talk about the first steps to creating a strategy based around the pain points of your business. Sign up here.
Stephanie German is a business strategist, adjunct professor, and speaker. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and loves giving back to her community in a variety of ways. When she’s not coaching clients or writing about leadership, Stephanie is usually headed to the mountains or the beach with her family, drinking savory wine, or working on the latest project with her husband. Stephanie’s greatest desires are to raise up the next generation of leaders while raising her own children to be strong, independent, and brave. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband Blake and her three spunky daughters, Cara, Kinsey, and Peyton. She is the best-selling author of So Your Boss Can’t Lead?