Well, hello friends, it relates to three and 2021. I am so glad that you are here today because we are talking about the one thing you need to do before starting and growing your business. Now you may be here saying, Well, I've already started my business. Is it too late for this? No, it is not. I think this is a good reset for you. This is a moment of thinking. And I truly believe that if you want to build a successful business, no matter what stage you are in, you must sit down and do this. If you have not started your business, this is perfect because you can figure this all out now. But if again, if you've already started your business, if you're growing your business, if you've even been in business a while, this is going to massively help you and reset everything that you're doing so y'all can make sure that you actually build a business that accomplishes all the things that you have dreamed it would be. I know you want a career that you love, but I know you want to create impact in this world through your business. And today we're going to talk about it. If you're new here, welcome. I'm so glad that you found this podcast. I have no doubt it's going to help you along your business journey. And again, no matter what stage you're in, this podcast is for you to help motivate you, give you strategies and tips, and help you actually build your dream. Now you can scroll down right now in the show notes. If you just scroll down, if you're an Apple Podcast, scroll down there. You will see links to my website. It will take you over. Just click it, it will take you over. And you can pick the freebies that you want. You can pick one, you can pick all. I have a 16-step checklist for starting your business. I have a masterclass for growing your business, info on starting a podcast for your business, et cetera. So make sure you check everything out. Don't miss out. It's free stuff. Why wouldn't you want it? And it's right at your fingertips. So make sure you get that. If you've been listening a while, thank you so much to all my loyal listeners. Y'all are wonderful and awesome. And I'm so thankful for each of you. I'm just so proud of each of you for actually pursuing your dream and for actually just doing this. So many people never do. I talk about this all the time. They never do. And so you are a star because you're actually doing it. And today, too, I wanted to read a review. So many of you do leave these. And I just always want to highlight them because I'm so grateful when you take time, like an Apple podcast, to hit the five stars or write a written review. It means the world to me. Here is one from Daf Ford. And it says the title of it is Business. And it says, I enjoy your podcasts. I just need to move more to develop my business. I actually love this review. So thank you. I'm so glad that you enjoy this podcast. And I love that you actually have some self-reflection and just say, I need to move more to develop my business. That's why so many of y'all are listening, because you need the motivation and you need to get moving, right? You need to take action. That's what this podcast is for. So, Def Ford, you actually nailed it. You nailed it that you need to get moving. And that is precisely why all of you should be here today and every week that I drop these episodes, because I want to inspire you. I want to help you take action in the most simple form possible. Y'all, you can do this. You can totally do this. You just got to take smart steps and take action, imperfect action, like I always say, right? So thank you all so much. Okay, on to the episode. Well, hello, friends. How are you doing? Can you believe it's already episode 321? What just happened? I feel like I just started this podcast. I don't know where the past six years have gone. I really don't. I've done this every week. I've skipped a few times where I've recorded ahead of time, but y'all, I've been doing this diligently. This is proof that when you put your mind to something and you really want to do it, you can do it. And you will look back and go, wait, how did I do that all the time? Just like working out. Someone was asking me yesterday, like, you know, how often do you work out? I'm like, well, I do something every day, meaning I intentionally go on a walk or I'm starting to be able to get some of my strength back. Because if y'all been listening a while, you know, I've had all these autoimmune issues. And I'm starting to do lightweights again and I'm starting to be able to vary my workout a little bit, which is really good and exciting. So to get back to what I used to be, right? I used to be able to be doing all kinds of F-45 and all this stuff. But, anyways, my point is that once you make something like a habit, well, let me rephrase that. Once you set a goal for something and you actually really do want to do it and you stay consistent, it becomes a habit. And then you can't not do it. Like there would never be a week that I would be like, you know what? I am just not going to do my podcast. Now, if something came up, that would happen, but I can't mentally do that anymore. Like I just, once I started this, this is it. So you kind of have to be in that mindset. Like if you really want something, you have to keep going and you have to keep taking action and you have to be consistent and you have to do it. You can't just sit back and say, I want X, Y, or Z, but you're not really willing to do it. Right. So, anyways, I'm so happy you're here. Today we're talking about the one thing that you need to do before starting and growing a business. This is massively important. Again, if you already have your business, you're growing it, a lot of you already do. This is a perfect reset for you. Everyone here, today is very important. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, you know that. But we're going to talk about what you need to do. If you want to have a successful business, if you want to actually have a career that you enjoy that makes money and all that good stuff, today we're going to talk about some things that you need to do here. Okay. And I've got about five listed here. Some may come up, more may come up while I'm talking, but I've got these five, and I think these pretty much sum it up. And this is the deal. Many of you before you start something, don't actually think through what that means and why you're doing it. Do you ever find yourself doing that? Like, I want to start a whatever diet. I'm going to fast or I'm going to do this. I'm going to start reading more, or I'm going to start journaling more. But why are you doing that? What happens is so many people start those habits, especially in the new year, it's coming up and people are going to be setting goals and all that. So you don't really have a why. You don't really have a reason why you're doing that. You're like, well, just to feel better. But really, why? Why are you doing it? A deeper reason. You want to feel better so that you can enjoy life more, so that you can do more, so that you can have better relationships because you're more active and you feel like talking to people and you feel like being around people and doing things. Right? Think about anything that you may have started in the last few months or year. Did you stick with it? And if you did, why? What's the deeper why? Because that's what it is. It's a deeper why. It's not just the one thing. Like some of you will say, Well, I want to get in shape. Okay, I challenge you. Why do you want to get in shape? Maybe it's because you want to look better in clothes or you want to feel better, you want to be more active, you want to do it so you live longer. Those are fantastic reasons. The same goes for your business. Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this? This is the reset today. This is what we're talking about. The reason why you're actually doing this, what is the purpose of you starting a business? Is it to spend more hours away from your family? Is it to be more frazzled and frustrated? Is it to lose money? No, it's not. It's not those things. We know that it is not those things. I hope it's not. And if it is, you need to regroup. You needed to hear this episode, if that is you. I wanted to go through some of the things after working with hundreds of new small business owners, if not thousands. I don't know. I've never counted, but I know so many people have been affected by this podcast and have made great strides. And also my clients. And I want to have a moment today where you really dig into the purpose of why you're doing this. Okay. And here are some of the reasons that you all give me. Okay. And they're my reasons too, right? But I want us to really think through this because I think what can happen is you can start something and it can become not fun. It becomes monotonous. It does become stressful. You're having to learn new things. You're dealing with customers that hopefully almost all are happy, but some will not be. You have to wear many hats, learn how to do your finances a little bit with your business and until you outsource it. You've got to be a web designer. You've got to come up with names. You've got to be the face of this business. All these things, right? You you are expected to do all these things. There's a lot that comes with this. This is not a fly by night decision. This is a big decision. Now, I always say you can get going in a simple way, and it doesn't have to be a huge sacrifice in terms of money or your time. You can start this part-time. You can do it in a way that it is not taking away your whole, you know, free time. You can do it. And I and I'm an advocate for having a balanced life, right? So here are the things that y'all usually tell me why you are starting a business. One is the money because you want the money. You want to eventually leave a full-time job that you have, or maybe you haven't had a full-time job and you need full-time income. And so you're starting this business on the side and you're trying to get it going, you need to make money. I think that's fantastic. You need to make money. But you have to realize that your business is so much more than making the money. And if you are in it just for making the money, it will direct the decisions that you make that necessarily won't bring longevity to this business. Okay. Now, I'm not going to go deep into that, but I just want you to know that even the money will not keep you happy. Even if you're making a ton of money, you're probably going, wait, what? What is she talking about? If I was making, you know, a half a million a year with my business, I can do whatever. I'm telling you, it will burn you out. If you don't like it, it will burn you out and you will be miserable. If you don't like it, if you don't like who you serve, what you, what you are creating, if you don't feel in alignment with it, there will be a breaking point for you because you will be like, how can I do this out of integrity if I don't really like this? If I don't like dealing with customers, it will become another job. And I'm just telling you this because I know from people that have started businesses and I know from people that have had jobs in general that they don't like, that they're making a lot of money. So realize that. Number one, that yes, money is a great reason. Just make sure that you understand that it can't be the only reason. I just don't believe that. I don't believe, I think that I find it very hard. There may be a small percentage of you out there who can do it just for the money. And you don't like what you do, you don't like who you serve, you don't like what you're creating, you don't like business. But I would then venture to say that you are not happy. That you are not happy. Okay. So the first reason y'all tell me is money. Number two is because it allows you to help others. And I love this. I love this. I think this is a fantastic reason to have a business is to help others. You want to serve others. You want to create something that betters their life in some way, whether it saves them time, money, makes them happier, it gives them better relationships, makes them more proud of their home, makes them just happier people in general, right? I think it's so important. I think serving people makes you feel good. Like they always say that at church and everywhere. Like when you volunteer and when you do things that are unselfish and you do things for others and with your business, you're creating something that is making their life better. It literally warms your soul and it makes you feel good. I think it makes you feel more connected to God because I think He does everything for us and created us. And just all of it just makes you feel like I'm I'm a good person. I'm I'm worth that creation, right? And you have to think about whatever you're creating for your business, whether it's something you make with your hands, whether it's a service, you release resell something, that you have to be looking at it as a way of serving others. Okay. So you are in service of. You are in service of. Remember that your business is in service of. And when you allow that embodiment within you, and that when you are creating your product, when you're selling it to people, when you're doing all these things, you realize that you are making the world a better place through that. I think it's amazing. Okay. So again, the first one was money. The second one was a way of serving others, helping others. And the third one is giving yourself purpose. A lot of you tell me this: that your business is actually a way for you to have more purpose in your life. And I dare say a lot of you have come to me when you're starting your business and you have said, I'm starting this business because I just feel like I need to feel more purposeful in my life. And this business is a way to do that. And I love that because that's exactly how I felt when I started this business. I said, I have, I know that I have more to give and I want to live an impactful life. I want to have more purpose. And this is a means to doing that. I think there's a lot of things that we can do in our life that give us purpose. We can, in fact, not start a business and not do a lot of things, but be a positive influence on people's lives and we can have purpose in our life. But I think a lot of you are seeking more of that. And you have always maybe felt this little nudge that a business was a cool way to do that. And you love the thought of owning and empowering yourself and taking charge and not having a boss. And this gives you purpose. And I think that's wonderful because you are exactly right. It does give you purpose. It is amazing what can come out of having a business. When you affect people in a positive way, it will bring you so much happiness, like I said a minute ago, but it's long lasting. It's long lasting. You can feel it. I can feel it from the days when I met my first clients six years ago. And it's like still fuzzy, warm and fuzzy in my soul. Like I love it that I've done this and it's given me something. Instead of having a boss and going to technology sales or something else, it's given me more purpose than just what I was doing. And I think it's such a cool thing. What a gift that we can start a business. We live in free, a free country here in the United States. And all of you listening, I'm sure you have the ability to start a business. And it's the coolest thing ever, ever, whether it's jewelry, whether it's a service, whether it's something you bake, make, offer, you know, some kind of coaching, life coaching, relationship coaching, anything like that. It's so wonderful. And it does give you purpose. And I think that's a fantastic reason to start a business. The fourth one that I hear y'all say is that it's just a way that you can actually use the gifts that God has given you. And I think that is spot on. I think you have felt, many of you have felt that you have untapped potential and that you have these gifts, whether it's working with people or maybe you're very artistic. Maybe you can curate things, maybe you're good at finding things, and you you have this gift and you've been wanting to use these gifts. Maybe you have many gifts. I think we have we all have more than one gift. I don't know why I said just gift, but you have had that feeling in your soul that you have untapped potential. You know God has given you these gifts and you weren't using them. And you're like, I want to be using them. What am I doing? I'm wasting my hours and my days just hiding in my home or just sitting here dreaming about things at night, keeping me up, and I'm not doing anything about it. So I think that is what is super duper cool. So, yes, you can use your God-given gifts for something greater in this world. That is a high calling, is to actually listen to what God has been speaking to you about that nudge that He's had in your soul. I think there are so many paths that we can take that God provides for us and we ultimately choose our own path. I love that. We have free will, we can do this, but he has given you unique gifts. Just think about it. Think about the gifts that maybe if you have kids in your life or nieces and nephew, nephews, and you can think about like, oh my gosh, they're so good at this. Or, you know, maybe you have a godchild and you can already see something special. Imagine how God feels when he knows that he's given you these gifts and he sees you actually using them. It's amazing. It's such a wonderful, like full circle moment for yourself. And I think that starting a business can be this awesome, awesome way to use your gifts. I know some people start nonprofits, some people do volunteering and other things. I think it's absolutely wonderful. I think what's cool about a business is that all these that we've been listing, you can, you know, fulfill all of those needs for money, for helping others, for giving yourself purpose, for using your God-given gifts. But I also think here's the fifth one that I think is really cool is that you are becoming more. You are expanding who you are as a human through business ownership. How cool is that? Think about that for a minute, that you've been living a life one way and you've been going about life. Maybe you've had a certain career. And the minute you decide that you want to even pursue the thought of starting a business, your brain expands because you do research, right? Maybe you've done research online, you've read books, you've listened to podcasts, you've watched YouTube videos, you have talked to mentors, you have talked to family members, you've talked to friends. Your brain is literally expanding. You are making connections and these neurons in your brain that you may never have made before. And then you are expanding yourself and your abilities and your self-confidence as you go out into this world, talk about your business. Maybe even you're just in the idea stage and you're talking about it to other people. And then maybe you already have your business. You've been running it and you tell other people the connections that you make, the human that you become, learning how to run a business is amazing. My husband and I were talking about this the other day that, like, just like having kids and going through the life that you have when you have kids and the ups and downs makes you so much more of an empathetic person and a sympathetic person because you have been through a lot of things that you will see friends go through with their kids and all that. And we always say we don't judge anyone else's kids and what y'all have been through because we know how hard it is and we have done our best. And maybe we've done things wrong, and our kids have still gone through hard times, right? And so it's the same for all of our friends. And when they're going through hard times, we're like, you don't have to be scared to tell us anything because we understand it and we're not going to judge you because we know how hard parenting can be. It's the same with your business. You know what that entails, and it you become a more empathetic person. And when you do business with other businesses, that whole world view changes for you because you think about, oh, how you were treated and the kind of customer service they bring and the cool things that they offer and the way they innovated and what they do. And you just become more cultured, right? And when you talk to other business owners, you can relate about all the struggles, about all the hats that you wear, but also all the joys, right? So you become more of the human that God intended you to be through business ownership, right? These are the things that that cause us to start a business. And you may not even realize, like that last one, that you wanted to become more, but that, but that is it. I mean, think about it right now. You're probably nodding your head. Like all these things probably my guess is they resonate with you. They resonate with you that you wanted to have a career you loved, you want to make money doing what you love, that you wanted to help others, that you wanted to have more purpose in your life, that you wanted to use your gifts, you felt like there was untapped potential, and that you wanted to become more, right? And that you did become more. This is what business ownership is all about. And you have to consider all these things before you're starting or when you're looking to grow your business, is the why. These are the why. Does that is that even a real sentence? These are the why. But these are these these five things I think make up the why. And I'm sure there's more. You're probably saying, well, I also wanted to do this. I wanted to have a creative outlet, I wanted to have something all my own. Yes, all those count and we could talk about all the reasons. But what I'm saying is all of those reasons that that maybe you're saying, even beyond this, are your why. And I want you to journal it, speak it, pray on it, talk about it. I want you to have a reset moment where you say, this is why I'm doing this. Because if it's for just like one of these reasons, you may get burned out if it's just one reason. You actually are starting a business. It needs to, it needs to encompass all of these reasons. I I truly believe that. If it's just about the money, you're probably gonna burn out. If it's just about having more purpose in your life, I think that's a fantastic, huge reason, but it actually has to make money too. Do you see what I'm saying? Like it has to have all of these components, or it becomes a hobby or something that you just love to do, which is totally fine and you have permission to do that. But there's some reason that you are starting a business. So I challenge you today, as you're listening to this and what when you know, when this is over, to really take a few minutes and sit there and go, why am I doing this? And I think when you realize your why, it gives you a new perspective. It's gonna give you that oomph, no matter what stage you're in. It's gonna give you that oomph to keep going, to keep pressing on. I think for a small percentage of you, you may go, wait, why am I doing this? Is this really the right path for me? Maybe I should just go back to my other job, or maybe I should just have a hobby. And that is okay too. That's why we do this. You have to make sure with this exercise that you are starting a business for the right reasons, for the right reasons for you, for the right season of your life. I think we can all say any season could be the right season, but I do think there are better seasons than others to really embark on business ownership. And I think we get excited sometimes and we want to start it now, and it may not be the best season. And now some of you are probably thinking, is she deterring me from starting a business? No, you know what I'm doing? I'm leading you to a practical thought process behind when to start a business and and if you should start a business. It's a practical, realistic thought process because I want you to make the best decision for you right now. Right? So everyone today, in just a minute, I want you to either jot it down if you're a pen and paper person, pencil and paper person, if you're a notes app person, if you're maybe you do voice dictation. I I highly suggest right now that you write out your reasons. And maybe it is for money, serving others, giving you purpose, using your gifts, becoming more. And it could be things like, like as I said, having something all your own, having a creative outlet, those are all great. I challenge you to look at as many of these, and your goal is to click as many boxes as possible. I think if it's just one reason, there's going to be a burnout time frame, or there is going to be a lack of money, a lack of motivation. I think it's got to be as many of these reasons as possible. Okay. I hope that makes sense. I'm excited for you. I'm happy for you. I'm so thankful that you're taking time to do this because I think this is gonna set you up for lasting success. So that's it. Y'all are amazing. Have a great day until next time. Bye. Now, this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here. Head on over to Kimberlybrock.com, and yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey. And you know what? You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help. Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye.