Are you a Purpose or Profit Driven Entrepreneur?

The year 2019 marked the first time I faced an existential crisis as a business owner.

After almost three decades since my first business, I'd thought I have seen, heard and done it all; if not most of it. I've gone through 5 financial crises, 4 IPO listings and over eighty businesses of my own - not without battle scars but nothing shook my world the way it did when the pandemic happened.

In hindsight, I was experiencing anxiety. And in this Coronavirus time, it feels different, deeper, and beyond perhaps my usual fear or anxiety about day-to-day troubles. This feels more existential.

Frankly, I was feeling a sense of loss.

It was also this time that one of my best friends and business partner decided to take a sabbatical from the partnership to return to his family business and care for his ailing in laws and aging parents.

A son has got to do what a son's got to do.

It felt like I was left alone in a lifeboat. One hand is on the tiller, the other is on the sail. The idea and vision we held for our business, suddenly became beyond sight, a great distance away on the other shore.

Like a duck, I was calm above the water and paddling like Michael Phelps under water. I was stricken, and panicked - I feared I wouldn't recover from that emotional turmoil I was feeling that I eventually left the business to find my North Star.

Everyday life is entangling.

It’s so easy to get caught up in routines and obligations that gradually take over to set the course of your life. It may look goal-directed – make breakfast, get the kids to school, go to work, return home, make dinner, go to bed, repeat the next day – but we know inside that there is no deep purpose to it, no fundamental aim that gives clarity, meaning, and richness. Then life starts to feel hollow, more about getting through than getting to.

Fast forward to today, I have re-discovered my North Star. It was there all along, but my view was clouded.

On that journey or rediscovery, I was fortunate to be amongst entrepreneurs and business leaders within diverse communities that transformed their businesses not just to serve a Purpose or make Profit; I also witnessed how Priorities, Performance & Patience had a role for a successful transformation.

That humbling realisation birthed the CEO Roundtable, a mastermind group for business owners, decision makers and entrepreneurs. It is designed to provide a space to unpack difficult puzzles and dig into the challenges you're working through.

One of the participants from the last session described the experience as “a space to ask yourself tough questions, to up your game, and learn from others’ journeys.”

This is not a new idea.

In 1925, Napolean Hill coined the idea of a “Master Mind” in his book, The Law of Success. In studying the habits of successful businessmen in the 19th and 20th centuries, he realized that had formed partnerships and groups to come together to learn, which was one of the keys to their success.

Last March, a group of 20 CEOs found RM4.9million in new potential revenue and RM 650,000 of potential savings within the business. Astonishing results!

Entrepreneurs are in the business of solving problems for others. But what we often overlook is how difficult it is, and what structures to put into place to mitigate against the common challenges people face as entrepreneurs. 

One thing that will always matter, regardless of what business or industry you’re in, is who you’re connected to. Our access to networks and the value of our weak ties are some of the greatest predictors of our future success. Yet time and time again people invest in courses or materials, but not in connections with other people.

Investing in your connections to others through masterminds can provided a trusted circle of friends and colleagues to help you make decisions, it can keep you accountable on a regular basis, and it can be a place to learn, grow, and build your own skills. And, during the hard times, it can help you keep your chin up and persevere.

If you're looking for an environment that supports your growth and champions your success, mark your calendar!

The upcoming CEO Roundtable is happening on 19th - 20th June (Sat-Sun).

Link to our event page are as below :

https://ceort.eventbrite.com

Love & blessings