Why Building A Strong Company Makes For A Great Life

Working in a private business is a challenging proving ground where the consequences of failure are large. As an owner, you are constantly dealing with demanding customers, suppliers and employees. Even worse, you can end up in debt or bankrupt and all the while wondering where your life went.  

At the same time, the payoff can be great: the feeling of achieving your purpose in life, assisting the community, providing jobs for families, developing your employees by helping them to have better lives and improving values through actions with customers, employees and suppliers.

Right now we are engaged in a struggle, a war for ideas. Facing us are two main concepts:

Concept 1:  We are not responsible for our happiness and economic success. We need the government to help us and they are the ones that should make it happen.  When we make a mistake or enter into a “bad relationship”, the government should pay for it and let us try again.

Concept 2:  We are responsible for our own behavior and as we make mistakes or when bad things happen to us, we should take actionto learn and become better from these situations that (fairly or unfairly) we find ourselves experiencing.

While reality is more complex than this, we are faced today with many challenges that are trying to push us all much closer to one of the two perspectives above.  History shows America was founded by a bunch of tough people getting in leaky boats with drunken sailors.  It was founded by people with values and beliefs looking for freedom to pursue opportunities that had no guarantee of success (and actually had high odds of failure). It was founded by thinkers that were also doers. It was founded by those willing to fight (literally and figuratively) for what they believe in. It was founded by those willing to disagree with each other in the course of working to achieve the freedom. It was founded by those looking long-term, while at the same time not being sure that they or their family would survive until tomorrow.

We need to remember our heritage and engage in the struggle. Through my life I have tried to positively engage in the “war of ideas”. Many times I have failed; sometimes I have won. Overall, progress has been made. Those around me have made progress. It has been a team effort with our business, family, clients, suppliers, employees, friends, community, etc.

As I meet with each of you, it is motivating and impressive to see what you are doing to “fight the good fight” (and in some cases you are not sure where you will be tomorrow). Today, it is a journey into the unknown. It is also a journey into the unknown for those of you doing well, since you know that the world is changing faster and faster. The upheavals will not stop; it is part of modern life.

While I have great respect for those in government, public institutions and public companies that are effectively engaging in the “war of ideas” (and I do not want to take away from the need for these entities), being in private business is a large responsibility as well as a great opportunity.  It is a tough life, but it is much more rewarding in many ways. I have found that it results in stronger spiritual capital, human capital, emotional and mental capital as well as financial capital for communities, families and individuals (bottom line, it supplies a much stronger fabric to our culture).

As private business leaders (whether we are owner leaders or employee leaders) we are many times too busy to get involved in the “war of ideas”.  We need to be more involved in many of the events that we see today.  At a minimum, we need to teach and share with those in our business how they can have a better life. We should help them understand why working for a private business is valuable to them, their family and the community.  Many people do not realize that what they contribute each day in the workplace plays into the productivity and continual improvement of a private business. It is more than just an economic recovery; our involvement with each other is cultural recovery that increases a person‘s responsibility for what happens in their life.  This responsibility for our lives, with both its good and bad results, makes for a harder but much more rewarding life.

One of our clients is building a program to share with their employees. He calls it Freedom University. It is designed to help his employees have a better life. The business is a tool, a proving ground, a training center for them to do this while creating an opportunity to also earn an income.  He also uses it as a recruiting tool to hire the best of the best for his business. 

All of us need to intentionally build tools to win the “war of ideas”. The alternative is that we will be unable to survive into the next generation.

The Comprehensive Independence Builder

If you are interested in learning more about how to have a rewarding life for you and all of your important relationships and avoid losing the “war of ideas”, please contact us.

You may also wish to learn more about our unique process for Business Owners called The Comprehensive Independence Builder^TM, in which we address all of the obstacles you face and help you use innovative strategies to protect and enhance your business, improve your quality of life and better achieve your goals. 

To schedule your Independence Exploration Session or for more information , please contact us at 800-786-4332 ext. 108, or dhadley@appliedvisionworks.com.