The 3 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Can Build Your Empire

Let’s be honest. These past few months have been difficult. The cover-up-your-head and go-back-to-bed kind of difficult—in both the event business and on a global scale.

I count myself lucky to have the California beaches nearby, and since the temperatures have begun to rise this week, I sought out some seawater for a much-needed reprieve. 

As I placed my towel on the beach, I saw something in the sand nearby. Assuming it was something a family had left behind, I walked over to see what they had forgotten so I could return it to them. 

As it turns out, it wasn’t something left behind on the sand, but rather it was a giant sandcastle the family had built. As I admired the sandcastle and all the hard work that went into it, it inspired me to start thinking about building in terms of business. Or put another way, how we can build our own empires. (No sand required.)

Building a business comes down to 3 questions. These are the questions you need to ask yourself when you start your business.

• What are the right questions you should you be asking?

• What are the steps you need to take?

• What are the habits you need to create?

Let’s break those down.

What Are The Right Questions You Should Be Asking?

I know what you’re thinking. “Hold up. What questions about questions should I be asking myself?” 

It all feels very meta, doesn’t it? But it’s simple, I promise.

You aren’t going to know the answers for setting up your business until you know the right questions to be asking yourself.

First and foremost, you need to ask yourself why you want to start your business. That’s #1.

Why do you get out of bed in the morning? Is it because you want to connect others together? Is it because you want to create an intimate experience for your clients that they will remember forever? Is it because you want to build a business that gives you more freedom to travel or to spend time with your family?

The cool thing about being a business owner is that you can essentially build whatever you want. But first, take time to understand what your vision is and what it is that you are building. In the business world, this moment of clarity is often referred to as your “a-ha” moment, and it’s necessary to be crystal clear on it in its entirety before moving forward with your plans.

#2 Ask yourself: does this serve my purpose?

It’s easy to get pulled in many directions when just getting started out in your business. You might feel like you should be doing XYZ over here and ABC over there. You might have family demands, or just really want to go have some cocktails with some friends.

All of this feels good, but as we’re doing things throughout our day, we tend to do a lot of things that sometimes take us away from our goal.

When you feel like you’re being pulled in too many directions, ask yourself, “Does this serve my purpose?

If not, it might need to go. Be more selective with your time. Put yourself first and know that you can absolutely say no if it doesn’t serve you or get you closer to that goal.

And #3: is this to the standard of what I want to do?

A common concept I often reiterate around here is that done is better than perfect. Otherwise, you might not ever finish anything. But that doesn’t mean to deliver sloppy work. Early on in your business, you need to have standards you follow and hold yourself accountable to.

What Are The Steps You Need to Take?

1. Find out your gift. This first step is essentially branding yourself. What is your magic sauce? 

   For example, I have clients who are great at logistics and crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s. Because of this, they have built entire businesses on month-of-coordination planning. 

   On the other end of the spectrum is a full-service wedding planner who is involved in every step of the way. It doesn’t matter which route you take when it comes to your business. Understand what you are best at and build your business around it.

2. Tell your story. Nobody has the same exact story as you. Take the time to think about your story so you can tell the world, who you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re about to go. Everyone wants to know your life story. It will resonate with someone, and with the people it does, those are your ideal clients.

3. Align yourself with someone who is going to help you build that empire, such as a business coach or a mentor with knowledge who will cheer you along the way. This will allow you to expand and grow as a person. Every time we are afraid of something, it’s fight or flight. When you fight, you expand and learn something new and get better. When you go into flight mode, you shrink, those doubts start to fill into your mind. You will never build your empire out of fear. You have to be brave and expand.

What Are The Habits You Need to Create?

1. Visualize, visualize, visualize. Make a habit of manifesting what it is that you want to do. This might look like typing up your mission statement and posting it on your mirror, so you see it every morning when you wake up. Or create a vision board of things that provide inspiration. Do whatever you need to do to keep that vision alive, especially when you get tired or discouraged.

2. Create systems within your business. Systems are created through consistency. Any steps you’re taking, whether it’s setting up an automatic billing system or creating a social media calendar, make these systems work for you. I use Trello with my team, and it works well for us.

3. Do the work. You’ve made it this far, so it’s time to treat your business like an actual business. Dedicate a certain number of hours a week for building your empire and stick to it.

4. Don’t forget self-care. Even queens of empires get tired (I know I do ;)). Remember, you can’t work well if all you do is work. Take a breather when you need it. Come back, recharged, and ready to go.

So, how did you measure up? Do you have areas in which you’re struggling? If so, I’ve opened up just a few spots for a one-on-one breakthrough call. Let’s start building your empire together.