When Money is Your Motivator

Over the past few weeks in the How to CEO program, I have been helping our current cohort of female entrepreneurs draft and workshop their company visions.

Crafting or tuning into your vision always starts with one powerful question:

Why does your business exist?

Answers to this question ranged and varied by industry, but there were a handful of similar responses that spanned numerous different fields and business models...

"Because I want to buy a beach house."

"So that my husband and I can retire."

"I wanted to make a million dollars."

"Because I want to have generational wealth."

But something was different about the women who shared these responses; they seemed slightly embarrassed or uncomfortable, as if they thought they were giving the wrong answer.

They felt ashamed for wanting to do what most people on this planet have to do to survive: make money.

Challenge Your Thinking, Is Money as a Motivator so Bad?

Because what is wrong with wanting to make money?

Money puts food on your family's table. It pays for vacations and buys dream homes. Money can pay for a child's college tuition. It allows you to hire people who can help you and, in turn, supports their desires and ambitions. Money gives you the opportunity to build your personal and professional dream teams.

Why are you telling yourself that you don't deserve those things?

The gorgeous business that you created to make money is actually helping other people. What if you focused on how it's touching lives and answering prayers?

Be careful not to discount yourself or minimize your impact. Your business is successful because it fulfills a need. People want what you are offering the world.

And who would you rather have as your customer, someone who is proud of your accomplishments or someone who resents the money you earn?

Differentiate Your Vision

But just because money was your motivator for starting your business, that does not make it your company's vision.

Because your company has grown. You've brought on team members, grown your client base, fostered partnerships and collaborations... At some point, your business became something outside of yourself. And your business needs a vision outside of your own motivations in order to move forward.

So you used money as a motivator to start your business, but what keeps it going? Why are you still leading and managing this business? That is the question that will help you find your vision.

Our next session of How to CEO for Female Entrepreneurs starts in April of 2021! CLICK HERE to sign up to receive an invitation when registration opens.