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When I work with new clients, one of the very first questions I ask is about their vision: where do they want to take their business?
Most consultants and advisors come at it from three interlocking desires: to make a profitable living (giving them the financial freedom to do what matters most to them personally), to deliver high impact work for clients and to enjoy their work.
All good stuff—provided the end result has some clear goalposts.
But the most powerful vision for your work—one that will enlist your sweet-spot clients, buyers and influencers—is one that tells a (short) story about where you’re going.
That kind of vision tends to be rooted in what Simon Sinek would call your WHY.
One financial advisor’s take went something like this:
“Every day I help families improve their relationship with money. But what I’ve come to realize is that when you help one family change, it doesn’t just help their immediate family. It transforms every single generation that comes after.”
Feel the raw emotion from that?
That sense of purpose is the kernel of her big, bold vision, which might look like this: “I transform the lives of generations of families by improving their relationship with money.“
Now she might not put that statement on her website or in her marketing materials , but you can bet it is giving her clarity on both big and small decisions.
Like whether (and when) to hire other advisors or admin professionals. How to balance being high-touch with being operationally efficient. Which clients to attract and which to turn away.
Of course she’ll also add some metrics because she’s running a business that must make a profit for her to achieve that vision.
And while those aren’t part of her external story, they will be key drivers for her to measure her results—financial, client outcomes and her own satisfaction.
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That clarity about where she wants to go gives her both the ability and comfort to say yes to some things: say, hiring like-minded associates—and no to others: clients who aren’t truly invested in improving their relationship with money.
Crafting your vision is one of the most important actions you’ll take as a successful business owner.
Isn’t it worth doing it right?