How to build a meaningful and successful business
(This Q&A was originally featured in the #AskAthena Self-Help Column in Cosmopolitan Magazine)
Q:
Hi Athena,
I want to build a meaningful business that I’m passionate about but I don’t know where to start.
Thanks,
Lenore.
A:
Hi Lenore,
You are on the brink of an exciting future.
The best place to start is to draw up a business plan.
This is your road map to success.
It is also the thing that will protect you from potential pitfalls along the way.
Many first-time business developers don’t understand the importance of creating a business plan – don’t be one of them!
The point of a business plan is to help you see where you can potentially fail and succeed before you even begin, so take the time to draw it up.
It will save you a lot of future pain and help you refine how your business will make and sustain your future wealth.
Your mind-set is just as important as your business plan. 
Carol Dweck, a Stanford professor of psychology, discovered that people who are successful in their pursuits almost always operate from a growth mind-set rather than a fixed mind-set.
What’s the difference?
Basically, how you view failure is what determines your mind-set.
If you see problems as opportunities to grow and failures as learning experiences, you operate from a growth mind-set.
However, if you view failure as something static and do not learn from what you’ve experienced, then you operate from a fixed mind-set.
Here’s an example of the two mind-sets at play:
Person 1 (growth mind-set): gets an ‘F’ on a test and believes they can do better next time. They view the experience as something to learn from.
Person 2 (fixed mind-set): Gets an ‘F’ on a test and believes they are stupid. They do not attempt to learn because they view the problem as fixed.
Successful people (as backed by Dweck’s research) tend to focus on development, problem-solving and self-improvement.
This mind-set is beyond helpful in business. See my interview with bestselling author Nancy Levin on her book , Worthy, which talks about this.
If you find that you operate from a fixed mind-set, don’t panic – it just means you need to watch that you don’t fall into the trap of ‘all or nothing’ thinking. [ See my interview with Nisha Moodley on this concept. ]
We can always change the way we view something; your mind-set is no different.
Good luck with your new adventure!
P.S. If you have a question e-mail or tweet me. You can also receive my free audio course, designed to get you moving upwards in your life.
P.P.S. Starting a business? I would love to hear about your journey so far…
Just leave your comment below.
