We polled over 100 people on LinkedIn and the results are in!
- 65% voted for “control of your time & income”
- 25% voted for “flexibility & freedom of time”
- 9% voted for “financial security”
- 1% voted for “title on your business card”
A great mentor of mine asked me how I define success a few months ago and it was a question I pondered on for a long time.
When I was younger, I would have said money. But money without happiness is the greatest disappointment.
Is it time? Without money, too much time can be difficult to sustain our lifestyle.
Is it flexibility? Flexibility is definitely a part of the equation for me. But it’s not everything.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it is closer to control. To being able to be in control of what I need at that stage in my life. I’ve had years where time off and travel were most important. I’ve also had years that making a solid income and providing for my family were my main focus.
Right now, it’s about being able to call the shots on what I need and what my family needs. Not someone else dictating that for me.
As a franchise owner, you can build your business with your needs in mind and adjust as you grow and mature in your business and your life.
I spoke to a franchisee today who I placed about 10 years ago and he has built a very large, impressive business. He now has admin, salespeople, and is working about one day/week in the business. He said to me, “What do I do with all of my time?” He had always been working in the business and now that he is working on the business and has a trusted staff, he can choose how he spends his time.
I would define that as success.
As an employee, we get used to people telling us what to do: what our role is, how to spend our time, what our goals should be, where we should live, etc. It’s actually difficult when we have the control and flexibility to do what we want vs being told what to want.
I wish you all the gift of choosing your path vs having it chosen for you!
How do you define success?
