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Success is a Journey – Not a destination.
A well repeated phrase that ones reads, nods in approval and then moves on to other matters. But what does it really mean?  Taking a moment to interpret the meaning can provide a strong foundation for business and personal planning of a small business owner or entrepreneur.

Consider these 3 Scenarios of “Success”:

1. Just consider all the investors in the late 1990’s that made millions in the stock market Dot-Com boom.
Buy low, sell high, make millions- you are a success.  Three months later the Dow loses 600 points in one day, the market continues to fall,  those millions are lost and investors are left with no gains or worse – are you still a success?

2. Fast forward to the Real Estate Collapse that we are now experiencing.
Buy an entry level house, “flip it” make some good money- Are you a success?  Now take those gains, leverage those monies, buy a bigger house, “flip it” make a lot more money. -Are you a success?  Things are good, this real estate thing seems almost automatic, so you take all those monies, buy a $1,000,000 property with plans to fix and flip it for $1.5M, but the market turns south and all the real estate gains have gone away and you cant find a buyer for your house at $740,000- are you a success?

3. Now Consider the Entrepreneur / Small Business Owner.
You successfully start your own business. You reach break-even.  Are you a success?  You reach $1,000,0000 in annual sales, then $2M, then $3M – Are you a success? You sell your business for several million dollars – Are you a success?  I say you have reached certain successes, but the journey continues.

Starting a business and reaching a level of success may make one feel successful.   Successfully selling your business and making a lot of money can make you feel  successful.  Maybe what you do after you sell your business has more to do with your feeling of success.  I have associated with several people that have successfully sold businesses, and several of them have not waited until the age of 65 to do so. Those I’ve been around that have sold their business have been more of the “whats next” and treat the successful sale of their business as a “success along the way”.

As an entrepreneur the idea of selling your business for large gains is alluring, and perhaps both inspiring and strongly motivating. The existence of a small business owner / entrepreneurs is a series of successes and failures. As an entrepreneur, I say enjoy the successes you attain-heaven know the failures may be more prevalent, but effort yourself to appreciate the successes that come your way.

I have successfully sold my own business, do I consider myself a success – not really.  I really think my success, as by my measurement will get determined by what I do next. Planning for your success is very important,.  And planning how you will reach your goals and levels of success is important.  Very often selling the business that you may have started and  nurtured for so many years can be very fulfilling, yet keep in mind it is not always the end-game. “Success is a journey not a destination.” 

You are in a great relationship with a great family life, and have good friends – Are you a success? To that I say –  So far so good… keep it going.