THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS   UNDERSTANDING YOUR VISION: It is important to always make yourself valuable, that way people will have a lot of reliance on your service. You need to respond to a gap in the market, some people refer to is as “Answering a need in the market”. This “need” then translates into a “Value”. The value needs to be so strong that people should be willing to pay for your worth. When people think of you what comes to mind? Is it positive thoughts of “Only she/he can assist” or is it negative, even worse is it indifferent? With a Vision, challenges become hurdles, you need to actually embrace challenges as that is what will grow your vision. Your vision should move beyond just to work and pay bills. Your vision should be driven by passion, even if you did not get paid you would still have the drive to push this vision. Your vision will dictate the company you keep, it will choose your priorities. You will choose to invest majority of your time on things that will develop this vision. Your weekly and daily to do lists should be in line with your vision A vision simplifies your life, it defines what you do (no time wasted). Without a vision you waste time chasing time, projects money, you tend to lack focus. A vision with a Goal map creates the ever-needed confidence, start a vision board, this will guide your progress and remind you daily of the goal you are aiming for. Vision helps you identify yourself; it becomes your source of motivation. A vision should be clear and simple, on other words, it needs to be an elevator pitch. (If you met your long-awaited prospective investor in a lift/elevator from ground floor to the third floor, how would you sell your business in 2 minutes?) Vision VS Business Plan (What?) (what, who, where, when, how) What are the 5 W and an H we spoke about under Developing a Business plan above? You need to have Clarity over Certainty: WHAT is critical and non-negotiable, it is closely glued to WHY is it critical, even if the WHERE, WHEN, WHO changes. The WHAT and WHY is what will guide your Vision. UNDERSTANDING YOUR GOALS THAT DRIVE YOUR VISION: Get clear about it. Dreams are too vague. That’s why they often sound impossible. Instead, be specific. Break the big dream down into goals. (write your goals down) Break it down into smaller steps. Now that you have the ‘what’ and ‘how’, turn it into a process where you’ll be able to see progress. Calculate. Everything can be turned into numbers. Numbers of potential clients, Numbers of how much are they possibly prepared to spend on your vision, Numbers of what the creation of the vision will cost as well as what the potential income after expenses is. Be ruthless with your goals. Do it Daily (You have 24 hours in a day – you sleep for 8 hours – work for 8 hours – and you waste 8 hours). Use at least 2 hours of the last waisted 8 hours to build your vision. It not only brings contentment, but also gets you closer and closer to your goals. Find like-minded people. The people you communicate with daily can have a huge influence on your way of thinking. So choose wisely who your spend time with. Have a vision. Getting familiar with details about the lifestyle you want to lead (Have a vision board) KEY PRINCIPLES THAT DRIVE YOUR VISION AS AN ENTREPRENEUR: • Self-Motivation – You will get many No’s in this journey, your vision has to keep driving you….you will eventually get the Yes which will be your reference point. • Understand What You Offer – You need to know your market better than anyone else, you need to know what makes your product better. • Take Risks – Understand that you will win some and lose some, risks are only to help us carve our offering to be better. • Know How to Network – Business is all about the quality of service and relationships. • Basic Money Management Skills and Knowledge – What you make is for the business. Pay your debtors, pay your employees & service providers first. • Flexibility – Be willing to adapt to market changes or vision direction (Be adaptable) align your product to technology advancements. • Passion – This is what should sustain you in the good and in the bad moments. By: Nandi Marubelela A Fellow Entrepreneur