Five ‘Whats?’ to Your ‘Why?’ – Why You Should Start Your Own Business



I hear this very often: “Why did you start your business?” I’ve learned that in reality, what most people are asking is, “What makes you crazy enough to think you can successfully run a business?” The following is a list of “what” questions you should ask yourself to find out “why” you SHOULD start your own business…

Some of you may be able to answer right now, some of you may not be. Hopefully, answering them will give you clarity on what to do next…

  1. What are going to do with your life?

I once heard that what truly matters is the dash- the dash on your tombstone that they place between the day you were born and the day you die. My goal is to leave behind works of art, investments, and real estate – something more than just bills.  What is going to happen in your dash? What is your dash going to represent? What kind of legacy is your life going to leave behind?

  1. What are you passionate about?

We all care about something, right? What is it that hits your heart in just the right place? One of the things I’m very passionate about is educating youth about entrepreneurship.  Everybody doesn’t share that passion, and that’s okay, as long as I’ve defined what it is for myself. What excites you? What gives you goose bumps? What are some things that bring a smile to your face?

  1. What makes you happy?

What do you enjoy doing? What brings you joy? I love working on cars, it’s my ‘release’ from business and school and family. As I write this, I’m in talks with a husband and wife who are ready to sell their auto body shop after almost 60 years. For me, it’s a business opportunity that falls in line with something that makes me truly happy.

  1. What makes you tick?

What ticks you off? What are some things that you’ve seen that need to be changed? For me, the number of young minority students that don’t know entrepreneurship is a viable option for them is staggering, and I wanted to do something about it. It angered me to see so many of our young people spending so much on other people’s businesses and companies and have no desire to create their own, mostly because they never knew they could. What gets under your skin? What is it that keeps you up at night? What can you do about it?

  1. What can you do well enough for people to pay you for?

We’re all uniquely blessed with talents, and as we work on these talents, they turn into skills. What skills have you developed or mastered? What are you great at doing? Talking and being able to work very well with different groups of people are skills I’ve developed over the years in various occupations. It makes sense that I’m a business coach and keynote speaker – why not use the talents I’ve been given? What can you do better than most? What is your unique talent?

At some point in life, you may have to make that leap of faith. Hopefully, at that time, you’ll have some of these questions answered before you jump. (Please comment below) What other questions must a person answer before taking their leap?


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