How to Integrate Personal & Business Development


Entrepreneurship is no walk in the park. Long days (especially during transitional periods). Countless obstacles. Unfulfilled objectives. Unexpected challenges. The list goes on…

The typical entrepreneur begins alone. Everything is riding on you. That’s why we often see lists of desirable “entrepreneurial traits.” You know – dedicated, intelligent, hard-working, creative, effective, efficient, tireless, resourceful, etc. The list goes on.

But how are these folks made? Or, can they be made at all? In other words, what does it take to become an entrepreneur and how do you get there?

Entrepreneurship – Do You Qualify?
Personally, I’m split on this question: who does qualify? While I do think some individuals are “natural” entrepreneurs, I also believe that these traits and skills can be developed. In fact, I don’t think there is a single entrepreneur who couldn’t benefit from personal development.

In my view of entrepreneurship, I put personal growth first. Since you the individual are the backbone of your business, you must have your ducks all in a row. Or… you must be in the process of getting those ducks lined up.

Here’s my vision of the ideal personal-business development plan:

Begin with Self Improvement
Start with you. This should be obvious enough. If you can’t get up in the morning because of depression, anxiety, or illness, you’re not going to be ready to build a business. And you’re definitely not going to be successful.

I identify five key areas for personal growth for entrepreneurs. Look this list over carefully and identify your weakest area. Be honest. Then, get to work!

  • Self Worth

No one is going to be an advocate for you. You’ve got to be your own cheerleader! It’s not uncommon for other people to criticize your efforts. There are tons of reasons for their negative outlook on your plan for success. But with a strong sense of self worth, purpose, and direction, the way other people see things will matter very little. I put this area first because it fuels the remaining four.

  • Health & Fitness

The mind-body connection is a reality. Go to the gym. Start a diet. Spend less time sitting at the desk and more time walking around and meeting people. Health and fitness is a strong second here since you would be useless without it!

  • Time Management

Time is your most precious resource. Entrepreneurs succeed or fail by their use of time. If you’re still working a day job, you’ll need to be especially efficient. Learning about and applying time management strategies in your personal life will also impact your business in these early stages.

  • Stress & Emotions

There are tons of tools out there for handling inevitable stress and emotional turbulence. Meditation. Progressive relaxation. Entrepreneurs who are often hard-working and tireless by nature often push the envelope well beyond even their limits. But, of course, we all have limits. Some of my closest friends do a great job of reminding me to have fun and enjoy life now regardless of how much I accomplish in a day.

  • Positive Frame-of-Mind

Stay focused on the best things happening. Businesses – especially new ones – have a way of creating consistent problems or challenges. Use The Law of Attraction, Intention-Manifestation, and Creative Visualization to maintain a positive, uplifted attitude regardless of what’s going on. Keep your eyes on the prize and smile through the rough spots.

Watch Your Business Grow
If you setup a plan for personal development success that focuses on even one of these key areas, you will see much greater results in your business efforts. Your purpose will become clear. Customers will come flocking. Profits will soar.

I firmly believe the number one key to success for entrepreneurs is sense of purpose. Usually, when entrepreneurs get started their highest motivator is something abstract – financial freedom, time freedom, greater happiness, independence, etc. These are excellent goals to have but too vague to bring results.

Begin with personal growth, and you’ll find greater clarity about what it is you want to do. Once you achieve clarity, it is easy to apply the necessary steps to take action and make things happen!

Entrepreneurship itself is a form of personal development. Your current day job could be a major obstacle to your future growth. The typical workplace environment can be unfulfilling, negative, and demoralizing for many of us. If the average employee spends 8 hours or more at work every weekday, he or she will be drained and dejected by the weekend with little enthusiasm left for enjoying life.

Get Started Today
If you’re already an entrepreneur, set a personal development goal. Choose one of the areas listed above and start reading books, listening to audio, and attending seminars.

If you’re considering starting a business, take time out to examine how prepared you are for the challenge. You might want to take a week – or even a month – to focus exclusively on the personal development work before moving forward. Again, this will help clarify your sense of purpose. It may seem like a loss of time upfront, but the investment will reap huge rewards later!

If you’ve never even considered entrepreneurship, consider it now. I don’t mean to suggest that owning your own business is necessary for personal growth. You can pursue self improvement outside of entrepreneurship. But owning a business could be a great carrot to motivate your personal development. Set a time-specific goal and think in terms of financial reward for improving your self. For example: I will spend one month enhancing my sense of self worth and life purpose. At the end of the month, I will begin developing my business, which will bring great financial reward.

Whatever your path, start working at this today. Set your goal and begin with something simple. I guarantee the effort will pay off!

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