What is the purpose of an enterprise? That is a question every team of founders should ask. Very early on and frequently.
Here is what comes to my mind:
- All those working for the enterprise should earn enough money for their work – so that they can comfortably live on what they earn.
- Also apart from that, the enterprise should make enough of a profit to enable it to invest into the future and to serve the capital “fairly”.
- The enterprise should offer products and services which increase the well-being of humans and at the same time do not have a detrimental effect on the common good (common good economy).
- All parties concerned should enjoy what they are doing and be happy. Also, the enterprise should be a shared success for all parties concerned.
- It should do numerous and exciting projects.
- The team of founders should be able to flourish in the way they desire.
Well, those are my personal ideas. Other founders may find other issues important. Perhaps the quick rise with an early sale of the enterprise as the crown of entrepreneurial work.
In this light, it certainly makes sense for a team of founders to ask themselves and each other:
“What exactly are the success criteria we share that unite us?”
In fact, you should have thought about this well before the founding and the start of your new company. Consequently, I recommend that all young persons who wish to found an enterprise once in a while sit down and let their entrepreneurial enthusiasm rest in order to check if the shared guiding star is still there, how it looks and if the spirit of all the parties concerned, along with their values, expectations, interests and needs is still what it should be.
Because founding is also a process where you have to say “better a miserable end than endless misery”. And the earlier you correct what does not fit, the better.
I other words: if you occasionally get off-course, this is quite normal. But the sooner you return to the right course, the earlier you will be a success.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
P.S.
For more articles of my entrepreneur’s diary, click here: Drehscheibe!
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