The Top of The Stairs

Recently, a client told me that he had been bumping his head on the ceiling. He wasn’t any taller since I’d last met him and the context of the conversation was about business. His business, specifically. He was an entrepreneur who had built a successful business but now, he told me, he was bumping his head on the ceiling of growth. He knew he needed to grow but he didn’t know what the right next step was.

We chatted about this for a while as I inquired about what he thought the next step of his business was and what had been the experience of others who had done similar things. Finally we discovered together what the right next step was. It turns out, without realizing it, he had recently achieved his goals in business.

 

When he started his business he had wanted to create a growing, successful company that was enjoyable to work in and that provided him and his family with a sustainable income. Nothing elaborate, just the good honest hardworking dream of an entrepreneur. He wasn’t seeking fame or fortune, he just wanted to do his own thing and provide for his family.

 

What he needed, we realized, was a new vision; not just a next step but an entire next staircase!

 

So together we started creating a roadmap for the future. Rather than looking at the next step for him (which was unclear because there was nothing more for him to achieve) we started looking at what was at the top of his dream staircase. Did he envision an even more prosperous business that he could sell before retirement? Did he want to create something to pass on to his children once they’d grown? Did he want to achieve fame and fortune after all?

 

It turns out, in his particular case, he wanted to create a business that was somewhat automated, not so he could leave it for weeks and sit on a beach, but just so that he could start spending more time with family as his children got older.

 

As soon as he said that, it all started to click into place. By looking at the top of the staircase, we could immediately see what steps needed to take place to get there. In his case, he needed to start exploring various automation software, employee training, and (in a little while) a business manager.

 

Rather than thinking that he had reached the top of the staircase, we changed his thinking so that he had just reached a landing in a much larger staircase. 

 

Now it’s your turn. You might not be there yet. But you may eventually get to that landing. It would be helpful now to consider what the top of the staircase is for you and what steps you need to take to get there. 

 

Is the vision you have for your ultimate business success achievable through the steps you’re taking now? In some ways, this entire "staircase" exercise is an exit strategy exercise but it involves a greater emphasis on the steps you need to take today to get there. Spend some time with your clients working through this process to help them envision what’s at the top of their staircase.

 

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