What Do You See? Tunnel Vision for your Business

In five to ten years, where do you see yourself? Your business? What sounds like a simple question is often complex. It's complex because sometimes you lose this vision you have for your company if your business model is not built around it.

As I help people plan for business, I continue to see this trend. The key thing to ask yourself as you build your business momentum is: How can you be true to you? How do you build a model that represents your vision?

If you started your company to be "a luxurious line of bath products" for example, does your packaging reflect that? What about your service; would you be able to sound courteous and professional on the phone as a concierge would or do your customers feel as if they're making a drive-thru order?

Start thinking about what you want your business to look like, how you want it to be seen. Michael Gerber in his book, E-Myth Revisited states that "what's important is how the business looks, how it acts, how it does what it is intended to do." Your challenge will be to get your business to do what you envisioned it to do. Don't misunderstand me, the client may change, some of your methods will change, but the real reason your business exists won't--that is unless you didn't have a vision to begin with.

When I first started my business even before employees or office space, I always referred to it as a company or agency. I've always known in the back of my mind that I'm building the prototype for what a breathing company would look like.

My vision when starting Isaac Business Services, has always been to have a platform that creates a level playing field for anyone starting a business to be presented with the same opportunities--whether heavily funded or not, whether past entrepreneurs or not, whether they had twenty years of experience or five. I've always envisioned Isaac Business Services as a one-stop-shop company for anyone starting a business or developing a model for a startup business. And it has slowly evolved into that.

Donald Trump in his book, Think Big and Kick Ass in Business tells you to "dress the part and act the part. Do not cause any doubt in anyone's mind that you don't know your stuff." He explains how when we first started, everyone assumed that the Trump Organization had employees when in fact it was just him working out of a studio apartment.

So when you think about your business, what do you see? And are you going in the right direction toward this vision?


About the Author: Cheryl Isaac is the writer of this blog and a Startup Business Planner & Owner of Isaac Business Services, The Business Start-up Company.