The act of entrepreneurship is the effort of pursuing a dream: lifestyle, enjoyment, craft, passion, freedom, community, purpose. Recall that dream — in this moment, as a vivid mental image.

What you (often) get in place of that dream is a business — a non-dreaming ‘entity’ that outside of entrepreneurship would be raised by a village (team), not just one entrepreneur.    

The best lain business plans are just that, plans for the business. But what about you, entrepreneur, who in the launching of a website or the selling of products has just become a business owner, financial director, marketing coordinator, salesperson, operations management, customer service specialist, and so much more?

What we leave behind in the traditional workforce

We leave the “traditional” workforce and set out to do something we love, something we’re good at, or at least something viable in place of employment. We may leave behind a steady paycheck, benefits, 401k, a set schedule, opportunities for growth and personal development — all for the chance to be the architect of our future.

That future doesn’t need to be a 5 or 10-year plan. For many (myself included), that future is simply enough money in the bank to meet expenses and buy time until the next future can be imagined — what I’ve heard referred to as now money. Society views entrepreneurship as a bold act of independence and “girlbossery” but for many, entrepreneurship is a means to an end that will hopefully be better than the job we’ve just left.

I like to think of myself as an architect of my present.

I invite you to think about what entrepreneurship gives you.

Entrepreneurship gives me —

• the flexibility to make my own schedule

• a choice as to how I make money

• uncaps my earning potential, limited only to my creativity and market value

But, those three tenants point to some pretty big ambiguities —

• flexibility

• choice

• potential (boundaries)

There can always be too much of a good thing.

Too much flexibility and my self-organization falls down the priorities list.

Too many choices and I become fatigued, foggy, and sloppy.

Uncapped potential and unclear boundaries can lead straight to burnout.

What we’re leaving out of our business plans

The multi-page business plan aside, consider the “business model canvas,” a one-pager that outlines focus key focus areas for business success.

This is here to makea point; don’t overthink what each of these sections mean, it won’t be important in this article.

These elements are important for every business. A strong business model means you’re (working toward) maximizing revenue, minimizing waste, maximizing customer experience, and minimizing reactionary decision making in the face of chaos.

All of that benefit exists within the confines of the business. Are you, dear reader, the business?

Recall the two clear cornerstones we left behind in traditional employment: a steady paycheck and a set schedule.

Reflect on a few questions with me —

Is your business paying you enough to afford the life you dreamed of when you became an entrepreneur? What about enough to make your monthly expenses and to live a little? Is it consistent? Are you on a clear track to those dreams?

Can you easily “turn it off,” that little entrepreneur in your brain? Is there a set time each day that you shut down your “business brain” and transition wholly to just thinking about your non-business life?

What is your non-business life like? Are you, like many employees, living for the weekend? Or are you wondering “What is a weekend?” as an entrepreneur?

If so, that’s absolutely wonderful for your and the rest of this article might be redundant.

If not, the missing section in your business plan might be the entrepreneur.

Vision casting generates your entrepreneurship plan

As a person who is in charge of a business, doing (and coordinating) the work of a professional staff, still nursing an imagination full of dreams, entrepreneurs have a lot on their plate. How do you make time to check in and make sure you’re on track to achieving those dreams?

Vision casting is the effort of crystalizing those dreams into an operationalized plan integrated with your entrepreneurial venture(s).

What does your imagination keep close at hand?

• Places to go

• Projects to complete

• Hobbies to practice

• Topics to learn

• Activities to try

• Lifestyle elements to embody

• Healthy habits to implement

• the unflinching desire for more time and attention for what matters

As an entrepreneur with flexible autonomy, authority to choose, and seemingly unlimited potential, why leave your non-business life as an entrepreneur up to the whims of the day?

Introducing: The Five Elements of the Entrepreneur’s Vision

This is a page from the Introduction to Vision Casting for Entrepreneurs workbook, included with workshop participation.

1. Finance — because money makes dreams possible

2. Operations — because efficiency makes time possible

3. Community — because entrepreneurs carry our businesses everywhere we go

4. Impact — because one to many uncaps our potential

5. Legacy — because someday, our children will become our caregivers

Vision casting is about reclaiming what is rightfully ours as entrepreneurs: Freedom from the limitations of traditional employment and all the benefits that come with it. With vision, we can intentionally design our entrepreneurial “workstyle” just as we (try to) intentionally plan for our business success.

Purchase the Vision Casting for Entrepreneurs Workbook and complete the full list of activities for yourself!