New Opportunities, Projects and Ideas
When you ask most people what they want to with their lives you'll get a variety of answers. When you dig a little deeper though, the majority of people want to find meaning or do something that they find meaningful. In other words they want their life to matter somehow, and usually they discover that by being of service to others.
Of course, we all know that doesn't apply to everyone. Narcissists, sociopaths and people with other mental health conditions may not care a jot about anyone but themselves, but I'm talking about the majority of decent human beings. We want to find meaning by helping other people in some way. That's what gives us true job satisfaction.
Enterprises and Entrepreneurs
This desire to solve the problems experienced by humanity is the bread and butter of entrepreneurs. The word's origin is derived from the French for 'to undertake'.
Entrepreneurs make things happen to solve people's problems. That's how they find their meaning, though they're often incentivised by the marketing potential and the opportunity to make money from the capital investment required to start the ball rolling and get the project off the ground. That is what coined the term 'capitalism', i.e. using your capital (money) to set up a business that will make a return on that investment (profit).
Generally, unless it's for tax minimisation reasons, entrepreneurs want to make a profit rather than a loss. The main exception might be humanitarian projects, such as 'not for profit' organisations, which have a special treatment by the Government's tax collectors, because they are designed specifically to solve problems for people in the community who need help in the form of products or services that they cannot afford. Examples would include children's charities, disease research projects and organisations that provide relief for hunger, disease or frailty.
Club Red's Philosophy
You can read the Club Red evolution story here, but I went into business for probably many of the same reasons as most small businessowners.
- I wanted to be in business for myself and in control of my own destiny.
- I wanted to do something that I thought I would really enjoy.
- I believed that my business partner and I could do a better job of looking after the customers and providing better service than what the marketplace was offering them at the time.
- I felt that my entire career history at that point had aligned to make this the perfect opportunity for me - I felt qualified to do it.
- I was confident that I could make a reasonable living doing it. (I might have made far more money in some unfulfilling management job, but at the expense of my soul).
As it turned out, it was, I believe the perfect moment for me. Even though, I suffered setbacks along the way, I also enjoyed amazing achievements.
As I quickly came to realise, and especially when I look back now though, is that what mattered most to me was never the money we made, but the impact that our business had on our customers' lives. It was all about the people.
I learned the hard way with some of my various business ventures that just becaus you CAN do a thing, doesn't mean that you should be the one or the company to do it! That said, I keep an open mind and I have a curious nature, so if you have an opportunity, a project or an idea to discuss with me, feel free to get in touch via this website.
