Want to Grow Your Business? Get Rid of that Vision Board
Vision boards have been all the rage these last few years. If you truly want something in your life you must first be able to ‘envision’ it before you’ll be able to manifest it. A vision board, like the name implies, helps with the ‘seeing’ of goals, making them tangible and motivating actions to make them come true!
You want to run a business? Get rid of that vision board immediately!
Why? Because I’ve never seen a happy customer in a vision board.
Perhaps vision boards are useful in personal lives (I don’t know, I’ve only done one and didn’t get much out of the experience). They’re generally used to set monetary, object or destination goals and are based on the “power of attraction”. The vision boards I’ve seen usually include things like houses, cars, trips, jewelry, experiences… fun and fulfilling things most people aspire to have in their lives. And it seems great, for personal achievement. The problem is that personal achievement and business achievement don’t mix.
The art of business is all about creating a product, service or experience that provides value and fills a need.
An entrepreneurs every waking moment revolves around obsessing on how to serve someone’s need, or at least it should be. In business, you can’t serve yourself AND others. It simply doesn’t work. The truth is, your business is designed to fulfill someone else’s need FIRST, and if you do it well, you receive YOUR fulfillment as a byproduct of that success. Customer first, entrepreneur second.
Now, don’t think that I’m against visions. In fact, I’m all for them. I’m all for defining your business’ vision statement (mission statement as well please), posting it prominently and WORKING ACTIVELY toward it daily. Your business’ vision should be the embodiment of WHY you are in business. It’s the starting point that drives everyone’s actions and your decisions. It represents the concept of the future as you plan to shape it. No objects or literal destinations involved.
So what about your client? Let’s talk about their vision.
Hopefully you’ve decided their business and project fits your mission (not vision) first. Because it’ll become your mission to assist them with THEIR vision.
Here’s my solution. Instead of using a vision board, host a team meeting where you define a ‘vision solution’. Discuss and debate the details of your proposed solution, using their vision as the source of unification and direction, until you’re able to clearly define a vision of success, your ‘vision solution’. Then, illustrate what success looks like for them, from their perspective. Be prepared to show how your ‘vision solution’ meets their needs and fulfills their vision. Winner!
THE TAKEAWAY
It’s not about you! It’s never been about you and it should never be. The sooner you accept that fact and devote your mission to shepherding your clients in their vision, the sooner you’ll be able get everything YOU want!
Whether you’re designing a business strategy or if you have something else in mind let the premier web developer in Maryland help. Let’s talk about how we can put that website of yours to better use!
