Know Who You Are and What you Do

Someone asked me once to make a list of everything that a business owner should know. I made the list and the first thing I put on the list was to know who you are and what you do.
Knowing who you are is more than just a mindset. It is having some self-confidence and esteem for yourself such that you are okay standing in front of a mirror or a customer. Knowing yourself is being honest with what your strengths are and your weaknesses. It is knowing what your values are and living life by them. It includes your interests and temperament, your activities and your life mission.  It is admitting that you don’t know or can’t do. It is wanting to know and wanting to do. It is doing something about not knowing and not being able to do. It helps you be happier, make better decisions, resist social pressure, be more understanding of others, and helps you feel more alive.
Entrepreneurs frequently make the mistake of making themselves the business. While great for the ego, this is a terrible practice. If you die, the business dies. If you want to sell the business, you have to sell yourself. Knowing that you are not your business and acting as such is part of knowing who you are.
Knowing what you do allows you to serve. You know who you can serve and the results that come from your service. You are not everything to everyone but you are something to someone. Sales become easier because you know if what you do can help them or not. It allows you to say “no” when asked to do something you don’t do.
Knowing who you are and what you do sets you up for growth and success.
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