Chapter 55
The Visionary Small Business
What you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
—Goethe
Owning a small business has much more to do with vision and boldness than it does with profits and losses. Profits and losses are a means to an end. In fact, the business itself is a means to an end. We start a business because we have a dream, a destiny that is fulfilled by creating a sustainable, beautiful business that we love. No, we are not always successful, but it is this vision of creating something special, of making the world and our world better, that drives us. Which begs the question, How can we better realize this passion? Are there business traits that the best of the best can teach the rest? Indeed there are. The best businesses are beacons illuminating the path so that as we continue our entrepreneurial journey, there is light showing us which way to go.
The Best Businesses
In their excellent book Built to Last, authors James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras sought to answer the question, “What makes the truly exceptional companies different from other companies?” The results of their exhaustive research and analysis are fascinating, and they apply to businesses both small and large. More than a desire for profits, more than a plan to produce pleasing products, the best businesses are founded on, and driven by, vision.
It helps to remember that every amazingly huge, Fortune 500, NASDAQ-traded, stock-splitting, name-branded, well-known ...
