Let’s talk about the roots of your small-business tree (what’s the small-business tree?). We’ll need to do a little digging, because roots are hidden underground. But the excavation is worth the effort. Finding and naming your roots is absolutely necessary if you want to nourish them.
Remember, your business’s roots are its life-support system. And your business is a part of you, a part of your life, so these business-supporting roots will overlap significantly with your own personal life-support system.
To begin identifying your roots, ask yourself three questions:
- Why am I doing this? (Why am I in business? Why do I provide this particular product or service?)
- What sustains me? (Where do I turn when I’m challenged? What gives me strength, courage, hope?)
- What do I need? (in order to keep doing what I’m doing)
Meet some of my most important roots here (clip is 36 seconds):
If you want to go deeper, you might consider different categories your roots fall into. If you’re geeky like me, you could whip up an Excel spreadsheet or a table in Word, but you don’t have to turn into a matrix-master. You could simply use the three questions above as journaling prompts, for example, or as topics to meditate on.
Here are some examples of business root categories and some things that might fall into them. Don’t be limited by this list!
- Physical roots: things that support and enable your business and your body. Your office space, your computer, the foods you eat and when/how you eat them, your sleep routine and exercise plan.
- Mental roots: Your idea of a successful business. Colleagues and friends with whom you can share ideas, commiserate, and strategize. The way you organize your day, your life, your schedule. Your plans for the future.
- Spiritual roots: your belief system and practices, anything that connects you with a force or power outside yourself (whether you call it God, nature, the Universe, mankind, Spirit, or the term of your choice).
- Emotional roots: Your desire to improve the world. Your feelings (satisfaction? generosity? pride? gratitude?) about being a business owner. Supportive family and friends.
You definitely want to write down your results, whether you just dash off three roots right now or spend a week meditating and journaling. This is important for two reasons.
First, naming your sources of strength and support is in itself a powerful act of self-support. By acknowledging your roots, you are consciously agreeing to be supported by them. You are building evidence that you are, in fact, supported. This trains your mind to look for more such evidence. Soon you’ll be seeing roots everywhere!
Second, naming is also an act of creation. When you looked for your roots, were there areas you found lacking? Practices you have been too busy to keep up (even though you know they are good for you)? Roots you wish you had? That’s very normal, and you’re definitely not alone. The good news is that you can consciously grow your own roots. Choose an area you’d like to work on and affirm that you are going to grow a strong root there.
Now you can revisit your written roots periodically and add to the list, make changes, and consciously direct your growth as a business owner (which, of course, is also your growth as a human being).
What are your roots? Join the discussion by leaving a comment here! Future posts will continue our in-depth exploration of the small-business tree, plus I’ll be happy to answer your questions about roots.
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Posted by Wendy Cholbi, your friendly neighborhood swim-goggle-wearing technology-to-English translator
