Conquer the Chaos, 2nd Edition

2The Quest for Success

In the early days of our business, when my son Tanner was 10 years old, we were talking about what Tanner wanted to do when he grew up. As I asked him the question, he quickly blurted out, “I want to do what Jake's dad does!”

Thinking Tanner was focused and motivated beyond his years, I said, “Great, Tanner! What does Jake's dad do?”

“I'm not sure. But he has a ton of money, and he gets to be home all the time.”

Tanner's answer provided a rather blunt explanation of what most entrepreneurs are looking to achieve. Money and time are key motivators for driving people toward small business ownership. But they are not the only motivators. Control, impact, and, ultimately, freedom are also important motivators.

THE ENTREPRENEUR'S HIERARCHY OF SUCCESS

After years of working with entrepreneurs, it is clear to me that business success is based on a hierarchy. Like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the entrepreneur's hierarchy of success makes clear that money alone doesn't equal success. Likewise, a business owner who is able to take a lot of time off is also not necessarily successful. There's more to business success than money and time. And the fulfillment we receive as entrepreneurs moves up in a hierarchy, just as Maslow laid out all those years ago. (See Figures 2.1 and 2.2.)

Figure 2.1 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Figure 2.2 The Entrepreneur's Hierarchy ...