I met with a business owner in the past week who together with their sister were looking to launch a business importing high end linen scarves from India.  The business owner was seeking guidance as there seemed to be so much to be done, they were struggling with prioritising what needed to done first.

As the business owner went on about what needed to be done to launch the business, I stopped the conversation and challenged her thinking with the following the Japanese proverb:

Vision without Action is a Dream

Action without Vision is a Nightmare

I explained she was in execution mode trying to create the business rather than understand why the business was so important to her in the first place.  The point is to start with a clear vision and once that is in place start working on how to make that vision a reality.

My next question was for her to explain why she and her sister wanted to create this business.

In response, the business owner started talking about the high quality of the linen scarves they will be importing, the pricing, and how it would meet the needs of potential buyers.

I stopped her midstream and challenged her  it was not about others it was about her feelings for the linen scarves.  Why did these linen scarves mean so much to her she wanted to import them into Australia?

The business owner went quiet…

When she next spoke, she opened up about growing up in India.  While she grew up in a wealthy family, they had lost that wealth.  Notwithstanding that the family stuck together and supported each other as they successfully rebuilt their lives.  When she wore the linen scarves, she was reminded of the richness of her life…from the good times to the low and back again.  The linen scarves were a connection to the best things in her life!

I loved this response as her vision was about having people who wear these linen scarves to look and feel wealthy in life!

The business owner admitted our conversation made her realise the vision for the business is based around her story, her feelings and her values.  In that moment, she undertook to ring her sister, who is based in India, to have a conversation about how she felt about the linen scarves.  Once they had discussed each other’s feelings about the linen scarves and tying those feelings into a vision for the business, they could move into how to make that a reality

The lesson for all business owners regardless of where they are in their business journey, is that they must first have a clear vision of where they are taking the business instead of focusing on execution.  The challenges of the business become worth solving when they serve a higher purpose.  So, before you write your next business plan or to do list, ask yourself: Why am I doing this?